


Are You the New person, drawn toward Me?

by meega



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Slow Romance, souffez - Freeform, the hogwarts au nobody asked for, whouffle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21676996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meega/pseuds/meega
Summary: Clara likes to think of herself as a sort of slightly clumsier-than-usual spy. She’s good at passing unnoticed and she takes pride in it. She stays out of everybody else's buisness so they stay out of hers. She’s preparing for the time when she’ll be free, once she graduates, to roam the world on her own and to visit all the places her mum’s book talks about. So, for now, she must go unnoticed, get into zero troubles, and learn as much as she can. That way, it will all be easier.Four years of going unnoticed by most have passed and she’s managed quite alright. She has Jenny and Danny, and Strax. She's concentrating on her classes, making her dad proud. Then, along with her usual Hogwarts letter comes a heavy and shiny little badge. Prefect. Sure, she thinks, I like taking care of people and, anyway, how hard can it be?She doesn’t know half of it.//Also the title's from a Walt Whitman poem that I think fits them perfectly, so do please go check that out.
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, Eleventh Doctor & Amy Pond & Rory Williams, Eleventh Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald, Jenny Flint & Clara Oswin Oswald, The Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald
Comments: 17
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, first chapter of a fic I wrote about five years ago, I think, and that I found and re-wrote about five days ago. It was unfinished, as most my things are, but I do hope I'll finish it because I'm super excited about the ending!! So yes, anyways, fist chapter here, characters belong to the BBC and the Universe belongs to momma J.K. rowlings so, credits due to them. If there are any trigger warning in the future chapters I will be sure to post them in All Caps in the notes so if it may upset you, my dear reader, I'll make sure you see it first and can skip it. Beware, Netflix errased Doctor Who from it's plataform in my country so I'm a tiny bit rusty on the character (I want to cry I miss watching it so badly) so yes, anything you might think doesn't fit or anything, please do comment it, I will deffinetly apreciate it very, very much.  
> And finally, I promise the next chapters won't have Notes this long.
> 
> With no further ado, do please enjoy <3

‘Tis was the beginning of her fifth year and, as the heavy machinery that allowed the Hogwarts Express to race the fields of northern England and Scotland rumbled to life, and the metal wagons left the station, Clara looked around for Jenny. She had been standing beside her only a few seconds ago, but now she was gone _. Probably off to find Strax._ Clara sighted, considering whether to look for them or not. Then a thought occurred to her that trashed that option. She was allowed into the Prefects’ car now.

Thrilled, she made her way almost skipping towards the front of the train. The Prefects’ car was probably just like any other car she'd already been into but, for some unknown reason, everybody wanted to go in it including her. And now she could.

She headed to the front and, as she did so, she passed multiple compartments filled with enthusiastic kids of all ages, the excitement was palpable as if a cloud of adrenaline had settled over them; she waved hello to some, although not many; mostly those on her same year and who shared classes with her. The hallway was carpeted with its usual bright red fur and lit with its usual golden lights and, through the windows, she could see the bluest sky of them all, the fields of green and the forests filled with life outside, passing like a blur of unknown excitement.

She was about two cars away from the Prefects’ when a group of First Years stopped her in her tracks. They were trying to get their luggage onto the overhead compartment but, failing, had most their trunks on the hallway, blocking the traffic and making quite a mess as a lot of students were trying to pass over or beside them.

“Need a hand there?” she asked, popping her head into the compartment where she caught sight of the kids.

“Yes please, Miss.” Pleaded a boy with curly dark hair and who was about a foot shorter than Clara, as soon as he saw her.

She chuckled as she turned her attention to the trunk. “Don’t call me Miss, I’m just a Prefect, my name’s Clara.”

“Artie.”

She tried picking the trunk up and, pulling at it, she noticed how truly heavy it was. As soon as it was almost a foot over the ground, Clara had to settle it back on the floor.

“And what have got in here? Rocks?” she asked with a smile. The boy looked mortified for a moment before realizing Clara’s words were just a joke. He smiled a little shyly.

“He just likes reading a lot, so he brought _a lot_ of extra books.” said the girl standing off near the window. She looked a lot like the boy, same caramel skin and dark curly hair, just a bit taller, with that attitude most girls her age carry around younger kids. She was probably a Second Year.

“Sorry.” said the boy looking down. He looked terribly nervous, stealing small glances towards the door from where a few grunts and complains could be heard.

“Oh, don’t apologize kid, I love reading, too.” she quickly said and then added “you’ll love the library in Hogwarts, it’s ginormous, with huge columns of ancient books about everything.”

“Really?” he asked, incredulously curious.

“Yeah.” said Clara, walking over to the other side of the compartment to see if from that side she could pick the trunk up easier. She breathed in and reached down with decision. She tried heaving the it into the compartment again, this time with a strong and fast initial pull, so that she could get it over her head, which was the tough part.

She was struggling quite a lot but managing to lift it up when, all of a sudden, the trunk became considerably lighter. Clearly someone else had come in and helped her, thankfully. Together, she and the stranger managed to deposit it in the compartment.

Then she turned to thank whoever helped.

 _Oh God no_ , she thought _, it was_ him.

He was smiling at her, his weird, rectangular face beaming with cheerfulness, his mop of auburn hair floating over it with extreme puffiness. And he already wore his take on the Hogwarts uniform, meaning the Hogwarts uniform that was in use near the 1820s.

Instead of the usual grey pants, black shoes, white button-up shirt and the tie and robe of your house he wore a red-and-gold bow tie, a Gryffindor obviously, a tight grey vest covered his white shirt and he wore weathered brown leather boots under his slightly too short grey wool dress pants. He looked like he had just popped out of an old photograph. And, obviously because of his weird sense of fashion, although not exclusively because of that, everybody at school knew him. Raleigh Murdock.

Hogwarts’ number one Troublemaker after the Weasley twins left.

“Thanks.” said Clara, dryly. Her smile immediately fell from her face and the urge to run away took centre stage in her brain. It’s not that she had a problem with Murdock himself, but she just didn’t really like the messes he and his friends got into. He was exactly everything she’d tried to avoid during her short four years at Hogwarts.

For instance, in second year there was that _thing_ with Rose Tyler. Nobody knew what exactly happened, but she had to transfer to Beauxbatons after a short visit to Saint Mungo. Then there was that big duel with Orion “Master” Matterson. The Divination room had to be rebuilt after they were finished. And so on, the flooding of the Great Hall, the theft of the Ravenclaw’s broomsticks, the time the Slytherin common room was filled with pancakes, for some reason, and a billion other pranks and troubles.

“N’problem Puff.” He said shrugging. _Puff._ Clara hated that word, ever since she knew the meaning of it in her first year. And so, for that, he was cancelled, she decided then and there. Any kind of redemption he might have had with her vanished.

 _Puff._ That’s what students called the boys and girls from Hufflepuff whose name they didn’t know. _Of course, this doesn’t happen with other houses_ , thought Clara, ‘ _cause everybody knows the people from the other houses, but not Hufflepuff. They are just the nice little Puffs who help you every time you need them and ask for nothing in return_. It really made Clara boil in anger.

“Thank you both.” said the boy taking Clara out of her thoughts. He was standing awkwardly beside her and switching between looking at her and looking at Murdock.

“You’re welcome.” She smiled her brightest smile down at him and then added “And it was really nice chatting but I gotta go…”

She turned to the door and, passing by Murdock without even looking at him, she exited the compartment with a wave.

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Clara!” called the boy as he, too, exited to pick up the second trunk and get it into the compartment.

Clara looked back with a smile and answered with a “T’was nice meeting you, too!” before turning away and, with a steading breath, she headed once more up to the front of the train. It took her only seven seconds to noticed Murdock had followed.

“I’m Doc, by the way. Well, Raleigh Murdock, but everybody just calls me Doc.”

He tried offering her a smile, but Clara didn’t see it since they were walking through a narrow hallway and her back was turned to him and, of course, she was obviously ignoring him on purpose.

“I’m Julie.” Clara lied, without even noticing. It wasn’t that she was used to lying in general, but she had grown so accustomed to lying about her name since so many people repeatedly had to ask her that she had grown bored of people forgetting. So now, she told them different names just to confuse them. It was only a little bit of fun with no real downside.

“Well, it was a real pleasure to have met you, Julie.” he said, his hands behind his back and his head lowered so that it was around the same height as Clara’s. He was walking really close to her, she noticed, as she turned to glance at him for the first time, finding his face only millimetres from hers. _No sense of personal space, great._

Clara made a mental note, or rather, a list of the thing she knew for sure about him.

  1. Troublemaker.
  2. No Sense of Personal Space.



“Thanks, you too.” She muttered curtly through clenched teeth before looking away. Thankfully, he didn’t add anything more.

She thought that would have been the end of it but he followed her in silence, passing every compartment until they had reached the Prefects’ car. _Creep_. She had to add that to her list.

“Well, it was a nice chat.” She said turning around, her ponytail swirling behind her. She couldn’t ignore what was going on any longer; he hadn’t gotten the cue, so she had to be blunt. “Goodbye.”

“Hey! Hold it, I’m a Prefect too!” He said, one finger tapping the all-new badge that Clara had just noticed was hung over his vest.

_Great, just great._

“Oh, good.” she muttered sarcastically under her breath.

She went through the door and Murdock followed.

“ _Now_ , we part ways, Dear Julie.” said Murdock, smiling flirtatiously at her and offering her his hand as his large mop of hair fell over his eyes.

“Bye.” said Clara turning to where she saw Danny sitting and chatting with another girl, not even looking back at Murdock. Or his offered hand.

//

Murdock knew Julie was lying. He always knew when someone was lying and he somehow loved it. It was way more fun to talk to someone and try to figure out their lies than to talk to someone who tells you everything at once. And it was such a strange thing to lie about too, your name. It itched his brain to no end. And her attitude. She clearly had a problem with him and, even if it did hurt him a little, his curiosity won over. He wasn’t giving up. He was figuring her out.

He knew her name wasn’t Julie; it just didn’t fit her right. She didn’t look like a Julie just as much as he didn’t look like a Peter or a Thomas.

But he couldn’t place her. _Where had he seen her before?_ Never in his whole Hogwarts career had he seen this girl, and he knew almost everybody. At least everybody from his same year, and she probably _was_ on his same year. _So why hadn’t he noticed her before?_

“Hey Rory, you know who she is?” he said, still following Julie’s figure down the train car to where she’d had gone to sit, a couple of seats behind him, on the opposite lane to where he was.

“Who?” asked Rory who’d been too busy devouring a pumpkin pie to notice him looking over at Julie.

“That girl over there, the short Prefect from Hufflepuff with the bangs.” said Murdock.

“Oh, I think it was… Nina, I think.” he said then stuffed his mouth with the rest of his pie.

“No, her name’s definitely Tori, she told me so last year.” Amy voice made them both turn as she appeared out of nowhere and sat beside Rory in the seat in front of Murdock. A paper was in her hand and she had a triumphant smile plastered in her face. Rory looked at her with a concerned furrowed brow.

“She just told me it was Julie.” muttered Murdock, his spirits lifting. She _had_ lied, that meant she had something to hide. _Oh, how Murdock loved a good mystery._

“Where were you?” asked Rory having forgotten all about his pie and, instead, looking at the letter Amy had in her hand, trying to spy what it said.

“Oh, just talking to some bloke, why?” asked Amy, looking around.

“Oh, nothin’, nothin’. Just wondering.” responded Rory abruptly, a dim blush crawling up to his cheeks.

“Wondering about what?” asked Amy, turning to face Rory, her eyebrows shooting up and a defiant look in her face, although a smile danced around her sharp lips.

“Uhm…” started Rory but couldn’t finish. Murdock chuckled under his breath.

The tension between the two of them, or at least on Rory’s end, was palpable ever since the trio’s first year. Rory obviously had a crush on Amy, and Amy was as oblivious and slow as a cow when she wanted to and had been dating several other boys ever since she discovered how fun it was to kiss someone; but she loved Rory, Murdock was sure of it. Of course, none of them addressed it and so, Murdock was stuck in the middle.

He tried to help Rory when the boy needed to talk to someone, and he dropped small hints to Amy whenever he could. He didn’t mean to act as a matchmaker, but he really thought they would make the greatest couple yet. If only they weren’t as dense.

He listened as the two argued about something or other while stealing small, curious looks down the car to where Julie was, until he started feeling tired and the sun started dropping. He napped a bit and, soon enough, the engine of the Hogwarts Express started deaccelerating and they finally reached the station.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alas! Chapter two is here, please do enjoy it! As always, credits due to their respective owners, BBC and J.K. Rowlings.

“Oi! Clara! Wait up!”

Clara was walking briskly towards the greenhouse, her ponytail swirling in the breeze and her book bag jamming against her side. She heard Jenny call her name and looked back, stopping only for a moment to give her an exasperated look and enough time to catch up.

“Thank you.” Pointedly said the taller girl as they both started again towards the lovely low building.

Clara rolled her eyes and Jenny laughed at her friend.

They were late for class, something not very normal or Prefect-like for Clara. The reason was that she had stayed up all night finishing a muggle novel she had started reading on the train and just couldn’t put down for the life of her; and so now she was late, and tired, which in turn had her annoyed and grumpy. Though the book had ended fantastically.

They entered the greenhouse just as Professor Longbottom was starting his lesson.

“Ah! Just what we were missing. Two Hufflepuffs late for Herbology the first day of school.” said the older man with a playful smile in his face.

“Sorry Professor Longbottom, we got caught up in–” hurried to say Jenny.

“Oh, I don’t need your explanations Flint, just go stand at your place and keep quiet. I was young once too, you know?” laughted Professor Longbottom, waving them towards the two empty spots at centre of the long wooden table.

The two girls did as they were told and took their places as the grey-haired man picked back up his lesson on dried-up herbs.

Clara let down her book bag on the table and started picking out the things she’d need for the class as quietly as she could. She took out a piece of parchment for notes, a quill and her dragon hide gloves, although she was sensing she wouldn’t need them much for this lesson.

She looked around the table, trying to catch onto what the topic of the lesson when a couple of round-as-eggs eyes infiltrated her field of vision.

_Murdock, fan-tas-tic_. He was standing right across the table from her, his eyes wide and his yaw on the floor.

She looked away, blushing slightly because of the attention and tried ignoring him, focusing, instead, on Professor Longbottom just like the other twenty something students in the room. But she could still see him staring from the corner of her eye. His poor excuse of eyebrows lifted high on his forehead, his big hands gripping onto the table, his parchment forgotten in front of him.

After a few moments of concentrating extra hard on Longbottom’s explanation of what is and what isn’t a medicinal herb, she couldn’t stand her skin crawling because of his intense stare so Clara shot him a glare.

_Stop it, you!_ It seemed to say.

_You’re in this class?_ He mouthed back, finally blinking. Clara rolled her eyes.

_No Dumbo, I just come here to pass the time_ , she thought, but instead of mouthing that, she just nodded, at the last second remembering to act politely, as her house mates always told her a Hufflepuff should act. She wasn’t really good at acting Hufflepuff-ly.

He immediately ripped a piece of parchment and started scribbling furiously on it, his hair moving funnily as he did so. Clara sighed and turned back to Professor Longbottom, begging mentally for Murdock to just let her concentrate. She looked down for a moment and realized her parchment was empty and sighed. She would have to ask Jenny for her notes later on.

As soon as the professor turned away to look inside a large wooden trunk for some herbs, though, out of the corner of her eye Clara saw Murdock leaning in and offering her the parchment eagerly.

‘ _Since when?_ ’ it read in a small and messy handwriting.

‘ _Since First Year. You’re really unobservant, you know that?’_ Clara wrote back quickly and passed it back just as Longbottom turned to the class with a large bag of dried-out herbs in his hands and started passing it around for the students to pick one and analyse it.

One more for her list.

  1. Troublemaker
  2. No sense of personal space.
  3. Creep.
  4. Unobservant.



His eyes opened even bigger and he wrote something, then he passed it to her again.

It read ‘ _You sure? I’ve never seen you here before, and I’m a really good observer._ ’

Clara, annoyed she was missing the lesson because of him, stared right in his eyes and crumbled the paper in her hand. She mouthed _Yes_ and then looked away and didn’t look back at Murdock for the rest of the lesson.

//

Once the bell rang and Professor Longbottom dismissed them, Clara rapidly gathered her things and start towards the door, not even waiting for Jenny. She realized Murdock’d tried getting her attention several times and although she’d ignored him successfully, she was sure he wasn’t going to give up that easily. She just wanted to get away from that annoying twelve-year-old faced mushroom and get to Potions in time. In no way, shape, or form would she allow that chin-boy be the reason she was late so Professor Slughorn would pick on her this year.

She wasn’t so lucky, obviously.

Just as she thought she was free, making her way towards the castle with no one apparently around, a hand grabbed her arm causing her to drop her books and the small bag of herbs Professor Longbottom’d given her for answering an ‘impossible question’ right, by surprise.

“Oi!” yelled Clara as she crouched to pick her books. This really wasn’t her day. She picked first the bad of herbs, hoping they hadn’t been crushed too much.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Julie, let me.” said the person who’d made her drop everything in front of her.

_Murdock._ Because that’s just the way the world works, apparently, always against her.

He crouched beside her and started picking her books. Once he saw the herb’s bag in her hands he asked, “What is it supposed to do?”

Clara thought back to Longbottom’s words, “Attract love and friendship, according to Longbottom.” She laughed sceptically.

She was really hoping she’d heard Longbottom wrong, given the current situation.

“Oh, that’s nice.” Smiled Murdock, leaning in to pick the last book. Once they were all back in her bag they both stood up.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not actually real.” She countered. Murdock laughed.

“Well, I just wanted to apologize, for, you know, before.” he said hesitantly, his bright smile faltering for a moment “And I guess for now, too. I’m really sorry, I hope the herbs didn’t get too crumbled.”

“It’s okay.” she said automatically, putting away the pouch on the inside of her robes and starting walking again. He followed her, obviously.

It’s not that I didn’t know you were there, it was just–”

“You don’t need to apologize, Raleigh, it happens all the time.” she cut him.

“Really?” he asked, stopping in his tracks.

Clara cursed herself. Great, now he would pity her, just what she wanted. She turned to face him and, as she’d expected, he looked concerned.

He probably already pitied her, she thought. Poor little Puff, not strong enough to haul a simple trunk over a compartment or not fast enough to get to class in time. Too small to even be noticed.

“It’s no big deal.”

“But–”

“No. Big. Deal.” Responded Clara, annoyed. Then she turned around and walked off, clearly stating the conversation was over. Apparently Murdock didn’t get the message.

“So… what’s your real name?” he asked as he followed her with his hands in his pocket.

Clara stopped immediately, causing him to bump into her back. She didn’t even notice, surprise making her forget even her bad mood.

“What’re you talking about?” she asked, not looking at him.

“Your name. I know it’s not Julie.”

“How could you possibly know if Julie is, in fact, my real name or not?”

“Well, first of all, Julie just doesn’t suit you. Neither does Nina, nor Tori, nor Sophie, nor Allison. And, second, there weren’t any Julies when Professor Longbottom called row-call.”

Clara looked back at him and found a smug look in his rectangular face.

“Oh, so if my name doesn’t suit me you’ll just assume it’s not mine?”

“Well it could be, but you’ve been telling other people different names, and I doubt you have that many names. It’s really not that hard to figure out, _Julie._ ”

Well, it was about time someone caught up on her shenanigans.

“So, what’s you real name?” he repeated, stepping closer.

“Who says I’m gonna tell you, of all people?” She turned and continued her path.

“Well, I told you mine.” His voice followed her.

“Everybody knows your name.” she said matter-of-factly. She tried honding onto her annoyance but, to tell the truth, it was starting to get replaced by a playful easy feeling she couldn’t quite articulate, nor did she like it. So annoyance it remained.

“Okay then, if you’re not gonna tell me your name I’ll just give you one.” he said as they crossed the threshold to the entrance Hall.

“What?” asked Clara confused.

“Let’s see…” he muttered, ignoring her question as he held his chin between his fingers and looked around, thinking hard. Then, he snapped his fingers “Oswin!”

“Oswin?” asked Clara her eyebrows pushed together, and nose wrinkled.

“Yep, that’s it, that’s your name now.” he said triumphant, “Oswin.”

“Why the hell Oswin?”

“Cause, it’s mysterious and pretty, like you.”

Clara blushed a little and looked away. When she looked back, Murdock was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it, and if you did i remind you Kudos and Comments do exist, thank you <3


	3. Chapter 3

After her encounter with Murdock and her ‘naming’, Clara’s week turned out surprisingly boring. Her classes went on as usual. She helped the first years with their homework, did her duties as Prefect, made her rounds, hung out with Jenny and Danny, helped Professor Flitwick with some gradings. Everything normal. No boy gawking at her in Herbology class or passing her notes or giving her strange new names. The pouch of magic herbs seemed to have had a short-lasting effect, apparently, or maybe it was the fact that she’d thrown it into the empty depths of her trunk and stored the trunk away the moment she got back to her dormitories.

A part of her, the biggest part, was extremely glad it was all over. But, of course, another part, the more _hormonal_ part of her she guessed, was looking forward to bumping into the tall brunet with the vest and the bowtie again, if only to see his pretty green eyes.

That was, until Wednesday afternoon came along.

“Hey Clara, guess what?” called Danny excited, as he appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of her on one of the overstuffed armchairs in the Hufflepuff Basement. She and Jenny had been working on some Defence homework, with not much success, so she was glad for the distraction. Both girls looked up and Danny gave them an enthused look.

“What is it?” demanded Clara, putting her book aside and feeling his excitement washing over her, too.

“I’ve been named Captain of the Quidditch Team!” he said, his face breaking into one of the biggest smiles Clara’d ever seen him wear. He beamed proud and happy as he showed them the badge he’d been hiding under his robes.

“Oh my god!” screamed Clara jumping forwards and hugging him “That’s so great!”

“Captain? Well someone’s been a good boy, hasn’t he?” said Jenny standing up and giving Danny a hug once Clara let him go.

“Yep, see?” he raised the badge so both girls could see it closer. It read ‘Captain’ and showed their house’s colours, “Although it’s just because Alan Wix, the previous Captain, got a tinge of Dragon Pox right before the school year started. He’s alright though, only he won’t come back to Hogwarts till March.”

The girls laughed even if they felt a little guilty for poor Alan Wix.

“Hey, you know what? we should celebrate!” called Jenny as she picked the badge from Danny’s hands and inspected it in detail. Both Clara and Danny rolled their eyes in unison, knowing the kind of ‘celebrating’ Jenny was talking about, which always included asking for help from their friend Wiley, the House Elf from the kitchens.

“Oi! You two just wait right here, I’ll be back soon.” she winked at them and threw Danny’s badge back at him before heading for the passageway out of the Basement.

“Well, congratulations Danny, you really do deserve it. You’re great.” said Clara after a pause, “And not just because Alan’s sick. I bet you’d have gotten it anyways next year when Alan’d graduated.”

“Thanks, I guess so, but still, I think it’ll only be until Alan can come back.” he said, although he didn’t sound defeated about it.

“Oh, don’t be so modest, you deserve it, you’re a great leader and an awesome player. And even if you have till then, you just gotta make the best of it! I know you will, you’re amazing at it.”

“Even if you don’t even know how the game works?” asked Danny smiling.

“Hey, I do know how it works; it just confuses me a bit.”

Danny gave a look and they both laughed knowing the truth was not that.

“Hey, you got the Arithmancy Homework? I’ve got rounds tonight and was hoping you could… lend me yours?” he smiled sheepishly, knowing Clara didn’t like him or Jenny or Strax copying her homework because her mother always said ‘ _you should do your own homework, or else you won’t learn_ ’.

Clara thought about it for a little and then nodded slowly.

“But only ‘cause you got named Captain, alright? I’m not giving away my homework anytime soon after today.”

Danny cheered her on as she turned to her armchair to pick up her bag but, with dread, she realized she had left her homework in the library.

“Oh God, no.” she muttered, praying it hadn’t gotten stolen or trashed.

She looked up at Danny and, seeing his happy face fall, she quickly said “Gimme a minute, I’ll go look for it, I think I left it in the library.”

She went for the passageway and left a happy and grateful Danny behind in the Basement.

//

Murdock hadn’t meant for this to happen. He hadn’t planned to have Sarah all over him on a dark corner in the library. He truly hadn’t. He had just asked her to meet him there to talk. And I know, the library wasn’t exactly the best place to do so, but it was one of the most private ones and, considering the amount of rumors that were spreading about them being together, he preferred not to encourage them. So, privacy, nothing more.

But, somehow, he always got into this kind of situations.

So, dark corner, Wednesday afternoon and Sarah Michaelson grabbing at his vest and pushing her tongue down his throat.

He was actually rather enjoying it. That is, until Oswin showed up.

There they were, half-standing, half-laying on top of a table, a couple of papers lying there with them and the sunset light casting giant shadows over them. Nothing else in the hallway but the table, the rows of book in the shelves as tall as trees and the chairs and them. Sarah was pinning him down, her hands tugging at his shirt, when a loud ‘Eh-hem’ interrupted them.

They both parted immediately and looked for the source. Oswin was standing there at the mouth of the tight hallway, arms crossed and a frown in her red coloured face.

“Oh God.” breathed Sarah, her cheeks growing pinker by the second. She quickly jumped off of Murdock, fixed her robes and run away, not a word more said. Oswin watched as she passed by her, a strange look in her face which Murdock couldn’t decipher. Was it anger? Disgust? Maybe jealousy?

“Uhm…” muttered Murdock, not really sure of what to do. He was still half-laying on the table, pink cheeked and both vest and shirt untucked and messy. What were people supposed to say in this kind of situations? Beg for mercy?

“I’ll let it go if you give me back my papers.” said Oswin curtly, surprising Murdock. They both knew any ‘disruptive activities’ like kissing on the library or while in class were prohibited and punished with detention if someone, a teacher or Prefect, found you. Why wasn’t she reporting him?

Murdock looked down to the table and just then noticed the papers, all covered in a small, neat handwriting. One of them had the name ‘Clara Oswald’ written at the top in the same handwriting.

“Clara Oswald.” read Murdock, a smug smile making him forget about his burning red face for a moment.

He looked at her and repeated “Clara Oswald.”

Oswin’s blush intensified a bit and her frown deepened.

“Yes?”

“That’s your name.” he said, triumphant as he felt his own blush starting to calm down. His heart, however, beat even faster. He’d deciphered the mystery!

“Yes, it is.” She muttered, narrowing her eyes at him, annoyed.

“Oswin was close then.” he said picking the papers up “Clara Oswin Oswald.”

“Raleigh Doc Murdock.” she called back.

“It’s actually Doctor really. Well, Doctor’s what my closest friends call me anyway, inside story; I’ll have to tell you sometime.”

Clara raised a playful eyebrow and Murdock smirked. _Okay so she wasn’t going to punish him, yay Doctor!_

“Well, I’m not your close friend.” she responded. Her face was finally coming back to its normal colour, too.

“We’ll have to do something about that, won’t we then?” he passed her the papers and winked at her.

Oswin rolled her eyes and took them, biting down on a half-smile Murdock almost missed.

“I really doubt there’s something to do.” she said, turning and heading for the door of the library.

Murdock smiled to himself and watched her go, her ponytail swirling behind her for every energetic stride she took. He knew he had picked at her curiosity, so he didn’t worry too much about her last comment or the fact that she’d basically blown him off completely.

//

Womanizer. Clara could add _that_ to her list, Womanizer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was chapter three! hope you all really enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing and then re-writing it! kudos and comments always do put a smile on my face ;), and any suggestions as to what they could get up to next are more than welcome. Do enjoy your day and thank you for reading! see ya next time!


	4. Chapter 4

The Next day was especially sunny, with no clouds in the sky and a light breeze. It was the perfect good-bye to summer which was, too soon, ending. And, even if she had to wake up early, Clara was in a good mood.

She headed up to the Great Hall for breakfast, whistling some old tune she had stuck in her head, a couple of books in her arms and her hair let down to her collarbone.

Suddenly, as she was passing one of the stairs that lead to the fifth floor, someone joined her whistling. Clara looked back but saw no one. She turned back again and a face appeared in front of hers, startling her and making her drop her books.

“What–!” she started but cut herself when she saw who it was. _Him again._

It seemed Clara couldn’t take two steps in this castle without bumping into him now.

“Hey! Sorry ‘bout this.” he said picking the book faster than Clara could say ‘it’s okay’.

She looked at Murdock and caught his eyes for a second. Suddenly, all the memories of the day before came flooding back into her mind. She started blushing slightly, remembering the strange position she had found him in with that Slytherin, how his hands had been all ove–

_Stop it Clara._

She looked away and heard him clear his throat “So, History of Magic, huh?”

He sounded strange.

She looked back and saw he was staring at her books, exanimating them. His jaw clenched and his almost non-existent eyebrows pushed together. Clara studied his face as he studied her books. His hair fell almost to his eyes, a deep brown, like the colour of varnished mahogany. His green eyes shined in the warm morning sunlight that washed in through the castle’s windows. His tall and slim figure stood at least a foot taller than hers and still, his face looked like a Twelve-Year-Old’s.

 _I guess that’s one more for my list,_ she thought.

  1. Troublemaker.
  2. No sense of Personal Space.
  3. Unobservant.
  4. Womanizer.
  5. Good-looking.



“Yeah.” said Clara, not knowing what else to add.

He passed her the books in a swift move and smiled.

Clara risked another look at him and realized why he sounded strange, he was nervious, she realized. He kept passing his hand through his mop of a hair and fidgeting with the buttons in his light grey vest.

“So, uhm…” he tried, “Good morning Os- I mean, Clara.”

“Good morning, Murdock.” She answered,"Care to walk with me?"

She started towards the Great Hall once again without looking at him, worried she’d start blushing again.

“So, I wanted to say thank you, I guess.” he called, his hands now in his pockets as he caught up to her.

Clara looked back at him, surprised.

“For what?” she asked.

“For not reporting us. I mean me and Sarah… yesterday.” he seemed… ashamed? He kept looking away and fluttering between a smile and pursed lips. Maybe he wasn’t such a womanizer after all.

“I guess you owe me a favour then.” said Clara after a moment.

“Yeah.” he said, letting out a heavy sigh and smiling, slightly more relaxed now.

“Why _didn’t_ you report us?” he asked, curiously lowering his head so now they were at the same eye-level, or almost. “Or at least take some house points?”

“I… didn’t see the point in it, you’d just move on to someplace quieter to do your… business.” said Clara, trying not to sound affected by the fact that she had interrupted a very hot make-out session and that now she was discussing it “And besides, I don’t like taking points for insignificant stuff like that.”

“I–” He started but didn’t finish the sentence, instead staying quieter for some time. Clara waited silent.

They went up and down a pair of stairs, and turned two corners before he talked again.

“I’m not like that.”

She looked up at him. He looked serious and was staring right into her eyes.

“Really?” she asked unconvinced. She had heard all about the other billion girls that claimed they had tasted the amazing lips of the one and only Raleigh Murdock. Though, now that she thought about it, she’d never actually seen Murdock with anyone other than Rose, and that was two years ago.

“It’s not like I go looking for them, they just–”

“–throw themselves at you?” asked Clara, an amused smile lighting up her face.

“Yeah.” said Murdock.

Clara raised a sceptic eyebrow at him before erupting in laughter. So much, she had to stop walking and lean into the wall to steady herself.

Murdock’s eyebrow furrowed and he stared at her, dubfolded.

“You do know how much of a tool you sound like, don’t you?” asked Clara between laughs.

Murdock pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows further.

“I can’t believe you’re serious.” said Clara, her laughter dying slowly.

“Okay, maybe you think it’s funny but it’s not like there’ve been that many girls even, I mean, I’ve only kissed three! Four counting Sarah.” he explained.

Clara was surprised into silence, maybe the gossip did lie. Or at least exaggerate.

_Definitely not a womanizer._

“Clara!” called a voice making them both turn back. At the end of the hallway they were walking, which was deserted apart from them and the paintings, a short, buff, bald boy was walking briskly towards them.

He had a smile in his lips but his eyes stayed with the permanent frown they had always worn.

“Finally, I find you!” he said, his strange accent thick as he spoke.

“Hey Strax!” greeted Clara cheerfully.

She was always happy to talk with Strax who always managed make her laugh with his strange addiction to muggle warfare or his poor grasp on British customs and sarcasm.

“Strax!” said Murdock, immediately grabbing the smaller boy into a kind of chokehold and rubbing his head lightly.

“Doc! How many times have I told you not to noogie me while there are girls looking.” said Strax as he tried to set himself free from Murdock’s grasp.

“Oh, you know you love it.” said Doc, laughing as he let the shorter boy go and stepped back, swiftly whipping his hair back with his hand. He shot Clara a look that said _Silly Strax, ain’t he?_

Strax straightened up his robes and turned to Clara, who was quietly laughing and watching Murdock.

“Clara; Danny and Jenny were looking for you and have sent me to search and bring you to the Great Hall.” said Stax stiffly.

“Okay Strax, anything else?” asked Clara, still smiling.

“No.” said the boy.

“Well then, I guess you two should be going. Thanks again, Clara.” said Murdock turning around and heading in the opposite direction of the Great Hall.

“You know,” called Clara, not yet wanting the conversation to end. _Weird._ “you can always call me Oswin, seen as that’s my _new_ name.” she smiled teasingly at him and winked.

“Of course!” he smiled back “Thanks, Oswin!”

//

“Oswin?” asked Strax, suspiciously once they’d started their way down to the Great Hall.

“It’s just, a _thing._ ” said Clara, avoiding his look.

“A thing?” he asked, a mischievous smile creeping on his lips.

Strax, who always seemed so oblivious to all the rumours and gossip and general teenager-ness of Hogwarts, actually did, in fact, pay attention to them, and liked to play with what he knew when he could. He was mean that way.

“Shut up.” said Clara looking away to try and hide her slight blushing and smiling.

Strax giggled and, to put emphasis in her order, Clara nudged him with an elbow to his ribs. It only made Strax laugh harder.

They reached the Great Hall and found Jenny sitting and chatting with some other girls on the Hufflepuff table.

As they approached them, Clara noticed how her friend kept stealing glazes towards the teachers’ table, where, Clara noticed, Professor Flitwick and Madame Vastra, their Arthimensy teacher, where talking. They were a strange pair, the first one short and old, and the second young and half green.

Well, not exactly half green. The young professor suffered a rare skin decease which turned parts of her chocolate coloured skin into green, rough leathery patches. Some called her The Lady Drakon.

Clara smirked to herself before approaching. Jenny had been the centre of gossip the year before because of a rather indecent crush she had developed on Madame Vastra. Everybody had talked about it, thought it had never reached the ears of a teacher, thank God.

Though almost everybody had forgotten about it over the summer, Jenny still had the crush, and it was stronger than ever.

Clara sat beside her and Strax in front.

“So, what took you so long, sleepy head?” greeted Jenny as she gave Clara a suspicious look.

“Just… talking to someone.” said Clara picking a toast and buttering it, not looking at Jenny.

“Raleigh Murdock.” Strax ratted her out in a second, raising his eyebrows and smiling at Jenny.

“The Doc? Since when do you talk to him?” asked Jenny, intrigued.

“I… it’s nothing, we just keep bumping into each other, that’s all.” Again, Clara’s face threatened with turning into a tomato.

Jenny raised an eyebrow expectant, a smirk crawling up her face.

“It’s not like we’re friends or anything, we’ve just talked a couple of times.” Added Clara to try and fill the funny silence Jenny’d left.

“Well ‘a couple of times’ is the longest you’ve chatted with someone other than us and Danny so I’d say he’s more than just a simple acquaintance. C’mon spit it out!”

Clara blushed wholeheartedly now, feeling way too observed. She shook her head and then said “It’s not like that, it just happened that I caught him and that Slyterin–”

“Murdock and Michaelson?” asked Jenny, ready for the gossip.

Clara nodded and continued “Only ‘cause I caught them snogging and didn’t report them he wanted to thank me and–”

“They even have a _thing._ ” Interjected Strax, his mouth full of bread.

Jenny’s eyes went full-on egg-shape and her jaw dropped to the floor.

“Could Clara Oswald and a boy, besides Strax and Danny, have a _thing_?” she asked teasingly, making Clara blush an even deeper shade of red. She was sure no one had ever blushed this hard ever in the history of blushes.

“It’s not like that!” she yelled. A couple of students who sat near them gave them strange looks. Clara apologized and then turned back to Jenny.

“It’s not like that.” she repeated quieter.

“Sure.” Said her friend, smiling knowingly.

Clara started getting annoyed at her.

“It’s just that he didn’t know my name and I refused to tell him, but he was eprsistant and I refused and I refused, so he gave me a new ridiculous one!” she tried explaining, talking as fast as she could, and wishing the conversation was over as soon as possible.

“He gave you a new name?” asked Jenny, confused, as if this wasn’t what she’d expected when she heard they had a _thing._

“Yeah, why?”

“’Cause the only other two people he gave a new name to ended up in some rather hard situations. Rose Tyler for instance, and you know what happened to her.” She seemed almost concerned for a moment. Then, she added with a playful smile, “He must really like you.”

“And who else got a name from him?” asked Clara ignoring the girl’s last comment.

“Master.”

Clara’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, disappearing under her bangs. Murdock had been friends with _Master_? _Orion Matterson_ Master? When had _that_ happened?

It seemed so surreal, Clara though maybe Jenny was laughing at her. The two of them where complete opposites. Murdock, even with all the trouble he caused and all, was a well-meant boy. He’d never hurt someone directly; he actually did the opposite. He was always trying to help, as far as Clara’d experienced. He tried to help all the time and well, he was elected Prefect for god’s sake, he was a good person.

Master, in the other hand, he was pure evil, or at least in Clara’s eyes, he was. At least half her house had been cursed or hexed by him since he started with her in First Year. He was the one that had started that duel in the Divination Tower in their Third Year. He relished in seeing First Years struggle to find their way around and gave them wrong directions on purpose. He liked tricking them too, cursing them or simply bullying them in the old-fashioned, muggle way. He once got a younger boy to fall off his broomstick with a charm, the boy’d ended up in Saint Mungo for a whole month and, even with that, he lost the ability to move his right leg for the rest of his life. It was a miracle that Master hadn’t been expelled yet, or worse, incarcerated.

“Yeah that was my expression, too.” said Jenny looking at Clara’s face and taking form her silence that she was very surprised.

“But I thought they hated each other, didn’t they?”

“Well, I heard they were best friends when they were little but then, when they came to Hogwarts, something happened, I dunno, and they fell apart. I think the Doc still thinks of him as his friend but I heard Master hates him, like, really _really_ hates him” explained Jenny in a whisper.

Clara imagined how that would have been. Little Doc and Master playing around in small toy brooms, chasing each other in the playground. It was all so weird.

Silence settled upon the trio. Around them the Great Hall rumbled with life. The owls had just come in and they were all reading their mails and their Daily Prophets. None of then had received anything, although Clara had a subscription. Maybe something’d happened to her owl, Dalek? Students shouted and chatted and argued and even singing could be heard all around.

“So, what’s the name?” asked Jenny taking the other two out of their thoughts. She leaned in towards Clara who felt a chill run down her spine as the thought of the Master still lingered on her mind.

“It’s none of your buis–” started Clara, straightening up and shaking herself off, but Strax cut her short.

“Oswin.” he said, “Which I doubt it’s an actual name, by the way.”

“Of course, it’s not an actual name, just like ‘Master’s not and actual name, or ‘Bad Wolf’ either.” responded Jenny giggling.

“Okay, enough.” said Clara sternly. They both turned to her, surprised “Why don’t we just go to Charms and give the subject a rest?”

Jenny stole one last glimpse towards the Teacher’s Table where Madame Vastra was just standing up to leave and then said “sure thing, _Oswin._ ”

Clara blushed deeply and both Strax and Jenny laughed at her.

They stood up and left just as, all the way over at the Gryffindor table, Murdock was just sitting down, stealing a glimpse down towards the Puff’s table.

//

The Doctor had been distracted all throughout breakfast, barely giving his input on why Potions and Chemistry weren’t the same subject (Rory said they weren’t and Amy said they were). That was rare; the Doctor _always_ had an opinion, about everything.

But instead, he had spent his breakfast staring at the billion students roaming around and having breakfast, or at the sky reflected on the ceiling which showed a spotless blue sky with the sun shining brightly down upon them, munching at the same toast for at least thirty minutes and barely touching his tea. Neither Rory nor Amy said anything, but they shared a look about it.

Once they had left the Great Hall and were heading for the Gryffindor Common Room Amy finally asked him what it was all about.

“Doctor, you’re distracted, like, really distracted. Is there any specific reason for this? … Say, a particular blonde Slytherin of something?” she smiled, teasingly.

The Doctor gave her bewildered look at first but then shook his head “Oh, no no, I’ve been just… thinking, that’s all.”

“You sure?” said Rory raising an eyebrow. “You seemed pretty distracted back then. You even had that weird smile you have when you–”

“Well, I was distracted thinking, thinking about _stuff_ , you know?” The Doctor cut Rory off before he could continue “There’s so much stuff to think about. For instance, why isn’t there a spell to tie your shoelaces? Or maybe salt your salad? I mean, why would wizards go through so much trouble as to create a complicated potion to cure common cold if the muggle’s ‘cough syrup’ already existed?”

“I’m pretty sure there is a spell to tie your shoelaces. Though I don’t know ‘bout the rest.” said Rory thoughtfully. The Doctor laughed and patted his friend in the back while Amy laughed along with them. She rolled her eyes and smiled as the Doctor went back to normal and started one of his rants about Magic and Muggles and Space and Physics and Time.


	5. Chapter 5

That afternoon Clara was walking back from class to the Hufflepuff Basement when the sound of shouting stopped her in her tracks.

Wondering what it was all about, and also kind of worried, Clara looked around for the source but couldn’t place it. After wondering about for a few moments, the shouting started again, and she quickly followed it into an unused classroom right around the corner from their usual Charms room. As a Prefect it was one of her duties to stop fights and, well, anything that could involve shouting, really, so she steeled her heart and inhaled deeply before entering.

She opened the door and another blood curling scream ripped the air. Clara rushed inside and found two Slytherin kids and three Gryffindors standing in the middle of the dusty and poorly lit room.

One of the Slytherins was older than the rest. Tall and bleached blond, he held his wand in his extended hand, pointing it towards the rest. Most of him was covered in shadows though, so Clara didn’t recognize him. The rest where all huddled together in front of him and the boy at the front of the group, a Gryffindor who had coal-black hair and was really short, had his wand out, too, but didn’t seem to remember how to use it since he had it clutched close to his chest.

One of the other Gryffindors, Clara regonized, was the boy she had helped back at the train.

The boy with the coal hair who had screamed, on the other hand, Clara had never seen him before, but he was also the one who had a wand pointed at him so, logically, Clara turned to the tall Slytherin wielding the wand and tried to step in front of coal hair kid.

“What’s going on?” she asked angrily, her voice pitching up as she raised it to try and sound as commanding as she could.

“None of your business, Puff.” said the boy as he turned and Clara saw, in horror, the menacing smile of Orion ‘Master’ Matterson.

Clara froze, her thoughts rushing, trying to find a solution. There was clearly something dangerous going on. Nothing involving the Master could be anything but dangerous. He’d probably tricked these First Years into coming with him and now he was torturing them or something. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“I believe it is, in fact, my business.” she said, her voice quivering for a moment, but her stare stayed still on the Master’s eyes as she allowed all the hatred she had for him be reflected in one single and powerful frown, “Since I’m a Prefect.”

He snorted and then laughed boisterously. Then, he stilled and, glaring at her, shouted,

“Fuck off, you condescending twat! You know nothing of me or what I’m doing so you better fuck off and leave us alone! All of you!”

Clara was taken aback by his ferocity, it was almost as if he was a wounded animal, doing everything in his power to repel and lash out. She had to do something, and quick. This boy was taking advantage of the little ones and Clara wasn’t going to just stand by. She couldn’t let something like this happen. And, most of all, she couldn’t let it escalate. She either had to calm Master down or, if it really came down to it, fight him. She really prayed it was the first option since she’d skipped Duelling Club and wasn’t really in the mood for a full-on Duel with the most ferocious and frankly evil student Hogwarts had ever seen.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that or so help me, I’ll leave Slytherin’s points in negative numbers! Now you put that wand away and settle, please!” she screamed back, gripping her bookbag’s strap tightly and stealing down a glance to verify her wand was there, in case she needed it.

The Master, breathing heavily, turned his wand from the boy to Clara.

Yep, she was going to need it for sure.

“You think I care a bloody bit about House points? Go away before I do something you’ll regret.” he warned, his voice low as he waved his wand at her.

Clara pulled out her own with a steady hand and dropped her book bag to the floor “I wanna see you try.”

The Master, face slowly contorting in anger now, lifted his wand. He started pronouncing a spell but a flash of white light blinded them both, interrupting him.

When the light was gone Clara was able to see what had happened. The boy whom she had helped back at the train had gotten out his wand and had struck the Master with a simple ‘Expelliarmus’ spell. The Master, of course, had easily deflected the spell but, fortunately, was distracted enough that he didn’t get the chance to hex Clara.

“Stupid little stinkin’ cunt, I’m gonna–”

“Matterson!” called Clara. The blond boy turned to her, his eyes were out of orbit, his teeth bared like a wild animal, it made her face burn in anger. She raised her wand and shouted “Incarcerous!”

He deflected it and, instead, countered with a “Reducto!”

Before Clara could even think up a spell to shield herself, an invisible force threw her to her side, crashing her against the teacher’s table.

She landed on her side and a striking pain shot from her left wrist all the way up to her shoulder and she cried out, unable to stop the momentum from crashing her head against the table’s side. Her vision turned blurry and her head started throbbing intensely, so much she thought she’d lose consciousness any minute. She tried picking herself up, looking for her wand with her right hand while she cradled her left against her chest but failed miserably. Then, she felt something pointy against her temple.

“Don’t move.” ordered the Master “I wouldn’t want to hurt such a pretty little face.”

“What are you gonna do? Kill me? I’m guessing Azkaban would be a nice place to spend eternity on. I heard the Dementors are the best of companies.” she tried to sound defiant, but for some reason she couldn’t help her words from smooching together a blur of a sentence.

She looked up and saw a hesitant look in his vicious eyes. He turned, glaring and grunting at the four kids still standing in the middle of the classroom. He turned once more towards Clara and then headed for the door and left, slamming it on his way out.

Immediately after, the boys run to Clara and kneeled by her.

“Are you alright?” asked eagerly the boy from the train.

“My wrist.” she said, feeling it throbbing as she tried to stand up with the help of the Slytherin boy.

“We have to take her to the infirmary.” Said matter-of-factly the other Gryffindor boy; he had sand-blond hair and big blue eyes.

“Can you walk?” asked the boy from the train, Artie, wasn’t it?

“Yeah.” said Clara and started towards the door with woolly legs. She insisted she could walk alone, that she was just a bit dizzy, but the Slytherin boy stayed by her side until he was sure she was alright.

That being when they reached the Hospital Wing.

//

The four boys took her there in a couple of minutes and, on the way, as one of them had suggested once he saw her dozing off a little, they talked and talked and talked, to try and keep her conscious. They told her their names and the reason behind them being al alone in a room with the Master. Clara tried to listen attentively but couldn’t help feeling dizzy and sleepy. And, of course, her head throbbed like crazy and her wrist too. It was all too much and Clara just wanted to sleep for a bit.

“I’m Artie, and this is Sam, Louie and Tony.” Had said the boy from the train pointing first to himself, then the sand-blond, then to the short black-haired one and finally to the Slytherin boy who kept by Clara’s side.

“The Master said if we didn’t go with him and helped him test a new hex he had invented then my sister Angie would ‘suffer the consequences’.” continued Artie, his voice quivering a little, “He said he would go looking for her and he’d use one of the forbidden curses on her.”

“Yeah, and so we went with him, but he started actin’ weird once we went into the classroom.” Picked up the sand-blond, Sam.

Then Louie continued,

“Muttering and grunting and fidgeting. It was like he was speaking to someone–”

“Lots of someones, all ‘round the room!”

“But there was no one there!”

“And so, he got mad at us, and then he hexed Tony so we screamed but he used a binding spell to keep us still and we couldn’t get out and–”

“He kept sayin’ we wasn’t enough, he needed other kinds!”

“No, he said _older_ _kids_!”

That doesn’t make any sense Tony, why would he need _kids_.”

“You know, someone should go tell Professor McGonagall or Longbottom or someone about what just happened.” said Clara, tiredly. Her brain might have been murky and splitting, but she still remembered her duties. “The Master must be found, it’s still dangerous that he’s loose in the castle.”

Immediately, Artie and Louie run towards the Headmistress’s office.

//

“Hey Doc? Uhm… someone’s looking for ‘ya, outside.” Craig’s hesitant voice called as the Doctor looked up and saw him approaching with a weary look in his face, his hands fidgeting with his robes.

“Oh excellent, thanks Craig.” The Doctor smiled, wondering for a moment what could possibly get Craig all riled up like he was. He rose from his chair and winked at him, but Craig only gulped down a thought and rushed up into the dormitories. Oh, now the Doctor was intrigued for something that could get Craig looking like he saw a ghost must be quite the adventure.

“Who’d you think it is?” Amy asked him beside him. She’d been trying to finish a Charms homework all afternoon with almost cero success. He shrugged, smiling. He loved unexpected visitors.

An image of Oswin crossed his mind in a flash and a strange warm feeling spread through his chest. He hoped it was her.

“Don’t know, but I am eager to find out. See ‘ya in a split.”

He heard Amy chuckle as he walked between the armchairs and students sitting around towards the hole in the wall. Outside, he looked around for the person who had called for him and found him, sitting to the left of the portrait, his arms around his knees and his face buried on his forearms.

The Doctor sighted tiredly, his expectations crashing miserably as he stepped closer to his old friend and said “Master.”

The boy raised his bleached-blond head and looked into the doctor’s eyes “Doctor.” he greeted curtly. The Doctor tensed up at the sound of his voice.

He stood up and offered his hand and the Doctor shook it stiffly, already racking his brain for all the possible reason the Master was there for.

“What is it?” he asked quickly, shoving his hands into his pockets and cutting right to the point.

“I need a favour.”

“What is it?” repeated the Doctor. He knew he was going to regret whatever it was that the Master had come here to ask for.

“I need you to be my alibi for this afternoon.” said the Master shrugging, starting to walk around the Doctor in circles.

“Why would you even need an alibi for?” asked the Doctor, “What did you do?”

“Ahhh _that’s_ a secret.” said the Master pointing a finger at him and smiling.

“If I don’t know what it’s all about then I can’t help you Orion, I’m sorry.” said the Doctor frowning, feeling anxious at the thought of someone getting hurt since it wouldn’t be the first time. “If you’ll just tell me what h–”

“Don’t call me that!” he snapped suddenly. But the Doctor was already well used to Orion’s outbursts, so he stayed still, his hands still buried in his pockets, the right one gripping his wand in case things got out of control, and his brow still furrowed in his face.

“What did you do, Master.” demanded the Doctor, anger threatening to boil.

The Master sighed, cursing his friend silently. He knew the Doctor was way too much of a goodie-two-shoes to let him off the hook if he told him about what he had just done. Even if he’d only hurt a simple Puff. It made him want to punch him. Instead, however, he turned, defeated, and stormed away, regretting even considering going to the Doctor for help.

“It’s nothin’, just forget I asked.” he shouted as he left.

The Doctor sighted and turned, looking down and thinking. He spent about an hour or so like that, although for him it was no more that a couple of moments, until the sound of footsteps filled the empty corridor.

He lifted his head but saw mothing so, as he was about to say the password to the Fat Lady, he spotted three first years coming towards him from the left of the hallway. He frowned, curious. These were not hours to be outside the tower, much less for First Years.

“Hey, you lot. What where you doing out?” he asked them, ready to scold, even if he didn’t like doing so. He was a Prefect after all.

“Oh Doc, we were just talking to McGonagall. Here, we got a pass.” said Louie as they got closer. Then, the Doctor noticed they were all messy and tired. Immediately, his frown melted and a memory of him, Rory and Amy in the same state came to his mind.

Louie gave the pass to the Doctor who didn’t even look at it before crumbling into his pants pocket. From the look of the kids, he knew something had happened and he suspected it had something to do with the Master’s visit.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but we were attacked.” said Artie. “By the Master.”

_There it was._

“What happened?”

“Nothin’ serious, I promise. And it wasn’t our fault you can ask Miss Clara. Though she’ll have to stay in the infirmary overnight.” added Sam.

The Doctor’s senses went on high alert then. His almost-eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped.

“Clara’s _what_?” he asked incredulous. His chest compressed and his mind raced to think of all the horrible and painful things the Master could have done to her.

“It’s not too bad Doc, she’ll be alright said Miss Pomphrey. Just a broken wrist and a mild concussion.” Sam informed, supressing a yawn as he did so.

“Okay then. Go inside, yeah? Oh, and tell Amy Pond, the ginger inside, that I’ll be back soon, just going to get some air or somethin’. Be good, you lot.” he said and started towards the Hospital Wing.

“But… you’re goin’ to go see Miss Clara, ain’t you?” asked Louie, smiling sheepishly.

“Yes, but Amy doesn’t need to know.” he called back with a wink. The three boys laughed.

//

He ran what was left of the way to the Hospital Wing and opened the door with a heaving chest. All the beds where empty except for the one closest to the door where Oswin was laying with a cast around her left wrist and a pack of ice over her head. She looked miserable, eyes closed in an expression that could only mean, _‘I really bumped my head hard and I’m hoping against hope this will all be over soon’_.

“Oswin.” he called breathless, feeling relieved as he saw her in one piece, almost completely healthy.

She looked up and immediately smiled “Hey chin-boy, what brings you here?”

“Chin-boy?” he asked approaching her bed and sitting at it’s feet, his legs dangling off the edge of it. “It’s not that big” he added, grabbing it with his hand and trying to catch it with his eyes.

“Careful, you’ll poke someone’s eye out.” she said smiling cheekily.

“Oi!” he reached out and bopped her nose. She laughed and he smiled. She looked pretty when she laughed.

“So,” started the Doctor, “Sam and the boys told me what happened, or at least part of it. What did he do to you?” He leaned in, hands gripping the edge of the bed and his almost-eyebrows pushed together in concern.

“We… duelled and I ended up falling over a table. Gave me a pretty bad headache and two weeks’ worth of bandages, but no big deal, really.” she said it like it was nothing, lifting her hand to show him her casted wrist with a shrug. He wasn’t convinced by her tone, though, he could see in her eyes, she was shaken up still.

“Artie said they talked to McGonagall?”

“Yeah, she’s gonna go talk to Slughorn about punishing the Master first thing in the morning.” She smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. The Doctor felt sad.

“Good. Now, are you alright?” he asked, looking into her eyes to make sure she told him the truth. She looked taken aback and took a moment to answer.

“Yes, I am now. I was scared, Doc.” She admitted, “At first I thought it was just a prank or somethin’ but then he attacked me and, for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t stop. He had his wand against my head and was acting all vicious, I was really scared.”

The Doctor closed his eyes, knowing all too well that sensation. “You’re alright now, Clara. I’ll make sure the Master doesn’t do something like that again, believe me.”

She nodded, sighing. She still looked a bit shaken up but, little by little, calmer.

He racked his brain looking for something to add but all he could think about right then and there was going after the Master and duelling him once and for all.

“So, when you heard I was here, did you run immediately, or did you pretend to be cool and walked in a fast pace?” she asked, a tentative smile reaching her lips. The Doctor examined her face and, although he could see the fear in her eyes, he could also see relief. He was definitely getting better at reading her, he thought, a little triumphant.

“What makes you think I would just run to you once I heard you were hurt? Please, I have a life besides you, you know.” he boasted, fixing his bowtie and looking into the distance, pretending to be cool. He looked ridiculous, in Clara’s opinion. It made her laugh.

“So?” she asked.

“I run.” He admitted, hanging his head with a smile.

Oswin erupted in laughter and, soon, the Doctor joined in.

They talked and talked for what was left of the afternoon until Madame Pomphrey came out of her chambers at midnight and made a fuss out of the Doctor being there despite visiting hours being over about four hours ago. Clara said goodbye and the Doctor left.

As he walked back to the Common Room to get his things (he had Astronomy in, like, two minutes), the cool night breeze howling through the castle’s hallways made him shiver. He had forgotten his robe back in his dormitory and now all he had for warmth was his vest. He shoved his hands back into his pockets and hurried back; hopping Amy wouldn’t leave for the Astronomy Tower without him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens! You thought this would be a soft, funny, relationship driven fic? think again!  
> Of course there'll be lots and lots of cutesy whoffle parts but alas, there must be drama, jeje. Anyways, hope you enjoyed, kudos and comments, as always, love 'em. See ya next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, hello! Chapter 6 came a lil later with all this Christmas mayhem going around, but I've finally made time to upload, sohere it is and, with it, a big thank you hug to everyone that left such lovely and inspiring comments in the story, it really makes my day to read them, so thank you, lovely peeps. And without further ado, please enjoy!

The next morning, after checking on the Hospital Wing and seeing Oswin had already left, the Doctor made his way to have breakfast. It was a moody morning, with darkening clouds littering the sky and gusts of icy wind roaming the castle’s hallways. He shivered in his robes, welcoming winter with a happy smile. Oh, how he loved the snow.

He entered the Great Hall and searched for his friends with his eyes. Surprisingly, he caught sight of Oswin first, her left arm on a cast. She was having breakfast at the Hufflepuff table with her friends. There was that other Prefect with the big eyes, Danny, sitting beside her and the girl, Jenny, who the Doctor was sure was the same girl who’d had crush on Madame Vastra last year, in front.

He thought of walking towards her, maybe sit with her instead of Rory and Amy for once, but then he saw them laugh and the idea flew away with one of those gusts of wind as he though, _Nah, maybe another day_. He didn’t want to interrupt.

So, he headed for the Gryffindor table and sat with his two old mates.

“Doctor!” called Amy as she saw him sit down; she was laughing hysterically, and Rory beside her had milk spilled all over his robes.

“Oh, man!” whined Rory.

The Doctor laughed along with Amy and took out his wand. With a simple swish he had dried Rory’s robes and put the milk back into its glass.

“Thanks.” Rory looked at him tiredly. It looked like this hadn’t been his morning, at all.

“So… Doctor.” started Amy, the last titbits of her laughter still colouring her words as she sipped her tea and gave him a suspicious smile.

“What do you inquire, Pond?” he asked, innocently reaching for a Jammy Dodger from a big bowl on the table.

“You and Michaelson, are you, like, together now?”

“What? No, no.” he hurried to say, almost dropping his cookie. He though she was going to ask about the Master, not _that._ “Jesus, no, not even close.”

“Uh-hmmm…” she murmured, sceptical. She raised a suggestive eyebrow at him, and he rolled his eyes at her dramatically.

Then again, it was Amy, he should have known better.

She winked at him and then made some strange gestures with her mouth and, as sudden realization dawned on him, the Doctor blushed intensely.

“ _Pond!_ I haven’t even talked to her after it… happened.”

Amy raised her fist triumphantly. “Something did happen!”

“So… what _did_ exactly happen, though? ‘Cause I’ve heard the most unexpected things from an alarmingly high number of different people.” Interjected Rory as he swallowed a drink of his milk.

“Yeah, I heard you and Sarah where doing the _do_ when some Oswald chick found you and then joined in. Who’s she, by the way? The Oswald chick.” Amy smiled devilishly.

The Doctor choked on his second Jammy Dodger and felt his face burn even hotter. So much, he feared he might have looked like a tomato.

Rory blushed too, at Amy’s words.

“No! Not at all what happened!” rushed to say the Doctor, pointing a finger at his friends, “I can’t believe how much gossip gets distorted around here!”

“So, what _did_ happen then?” whined Amy, curious and unimpressed by her friend’s flustered face.

“We were talking and then she threw herself onto me and we started kissing. Then Os- I mean, Clara – remember the girl from the train? It was her, she’s Clara Oswald – she appeared out of nowhere and interrupted us and Sarah run away. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. I’m sorry but it really wasn’t all that interesting of a story.”

“Really? Well I guess the gossip’s way more fun, then.” said Amy picking her cup again, losing interest in the conversation.

“Her name’s Clara? I thought it was Nina.” Picked up Rory, giving the doctor a confused look.

“Nah, it’s just a thing she does, giving fake names to confuse people. Her real name’s Clara.” explained the Doctor absentmindedly as he calmed down. “Clara Oswald, Hufflepuff prefect, lover of Soufflés, and future traveller of the world.”

He picked up anther biscuit and started munching at it with a half-smile at the memory of their long talk last night.

“And how do you know all this, may I ask?” asked Amy.

“We talked a bit.” he said kind of proudly, looking over the pair’s heads towards where Clara was just standing up and leaving with the Prefect, Danny.

“Is that who you were with last night before Astronomy?” asked Amy, smiling, once again interested in the conversation. She leaned over, resting her elbow on the table and giving the Doctor one her _looks_ , the one that said, ‘I got you, raggedy man’. Sometime the Doctor hated those looks.

“Oh, the Doctor and a girl out all night before Astronomy?” joined Rory with an excited chuckle, but the Doctor cut him short.

“It wasn’t like that, you dirty little minds.” he scolded, “Why does everything have to with _that._ Can’t we just be friends?”

“Okay, okay, chill.” Amy raised her hands in fake surrender as the Doctor sighed, relaxing.

“Getting defensive, aren’t we, Doctor?”

The Doctor sighted again, exasperated, and dropped his head. They weren’t going to let it go that easily. Amy was never going to stop unless he told her everything, he knew that. He smiled.

“She had a duel with the Master and ended up in the Hospital Wing, I just went to see her, and we started chatting. Next thing I know Madame Pomphrey’s telling me I should have gone away ‘bout four hours ago.”

“She duelled with the Master?” asked Rory incredulously, respect washing over his voice as clear as daylight.

“I thought she was smarter than that.” chuckled Amy, looking at Clara’s receding figure as she left the Great Hall.

“She didn’t exactly went lookin’ for it, if that’s what you think. The Master had been experimenting with a new Hex on some First Years again and she just happened to stumble upon him, so she tried to stop him.”

Silence settled upon them for a moment as the three of them sipped on their tea in unison.

“So, is finally your pal Orion getting expelled or what? I mean, he attacked a Prefect and broke her wrist or something.” Said Amy, scrunching up her nose as she pronounced his name, changing her focus from Clara to the Master. He was the only subject better than gossip, only because she’d always wanted to duel him, although the Doctor’d never allowed her.

“I don’t know.” admitted the Doctor, his spirits dropping as he realized where the conversation was going.

“I hope he is. He’s a menace, nothin’ else. Should be incarcerated, if you ask me.” Muttered Rory as he aggressively cleaned the crumbs off his robe and stood up, “Well, I have Defence, see ‘ya later.”

The two of them waved good-bye and Rory left, stomping.

Amy stared at the dark-blond boy until he was no longer in view. The Doctor was silent, hoping the subject had been dropped with Rory’s out of character exit. The Master had a way of making them all act like that.

“So, Amy, how’re things going on with that new boy of yours, Sean.” asked the Doctor making her turn. Now it was his time to bug her.

“Simon.” she corrected him with a glare.

“Yeah. whatever.”

“He’s alright.” She laughed then, “Though Rory really hates him.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes, “haven’t you thought about, maybe, getting a boyfriend you actually liked? For once?”

She snorted, “Who? You?”

The Doctor shook his head and made a face. Amy pulled her tough out to him. He rolled his eyes and said, “No, no. I mean, maybe Craig?”

Amy shook her head vigorously.

“Strax?”

At this one she laughed, picturing the short, younger, potato-like boy with her.

“…maybe Rory?” said the Doctor tentatively, trying to act as nonchalant as he could.

“Rory? Well, I mean, I like him, but you know I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“’Cause he’s gay, isn’t he?” she said.

“No, he isn’t.” the Doctor almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the idea.

“Yes, he is. Or else then, when have I ever seen him show any interest in a girl before?”

The Doctor gave her a pointed look accompanied by a raise of eyebrows and pursed lips and, after a moment, realization seemed to have dawned on her “Oh.”

A loud “Ehm.” surprised them both then. As he Doctor raised his eyes he found Rory standing there, behind Amy. The younger boy drew in a sharp breath and looked, desperately, to the Doctor for any help.

The Doctor raised his shoulders and gave him a slightly uncomfortable look, making him know he didn’t know what to do now.

Amy turned to Rory and repeated “Oh?” in a tone that perfectly mixed confusion and slight anger.

Rory, panicking, reached down violently and picked his book bag from the table’s bench, which he had apparently left behind, turned and run.

Amy turned back to the Doctor and repeated loudly, once more “Oh!?”

“Go after him!” he said, pointing at the Great Hall’s big wooden doors from where Rory had just left, his blue and black robes swirling behind him. Amy stood up, picking her own bag, and ran out after him.

The Doctor laid back on his seat, sighting. Finally, after a lifetime of admiring from afar, Rory got to tell Amy how he felt. Or, at least, confirm he _wasn’t_ , in fact, gay.

He chuckled at the idea of Amy thinking Rory was gay when all the boy did when the two of them where alone in the boy’s dorms late at night, was talk about her. He smiled. Finally, the wheels in that machinery had started turning.

//

Rory run as fast as he could, not even bothering knowing where he was going. He turned a corner and suddenly ran into a short lump of black and yellow.

They both tumbled onto the floor and he immediately stood up again like a spring and helped her up.

“Sorry. So sorry. I’m – sorry.” He mumbled out of breath. As she stood, Rory glanced around, making sure there were no angry red heads in sight.

“S’no problem.” said the girl as she arranged her messed up robes and now, Rory noticed it was Nin– Clara.

“Hey, you heading to Defence?” she asked, finally looking up at him. He noticed the cast in her arm and felt double the guilty for having crashed onto her.

“Uhm…” he said, trying to think. Why was she asking him this? Oh, right! They had Defence Against the Dark Arts together, “Yeah, yeah. Actually, yes.”

“Good.” she smiled, fixing her cast over her shoulder “Care to walk with me, nosey boy?”

“Uhhh…” Rory looked back once more but it seemed like Amy hadn’t followed. He sighted in relief and said “Yeah, sure.”

“Great.” Clara started walking and Rory followed her slowly, catching his breath and settling his racing mind.

“So, what were you running from?” she asked after a moment of observing his mildly panicked face and laughing a little.

“Life in general.” murmured Rory half-heartedly, looking back again.

Clara chuckled and Rory, relieved his joke was considered funny, laughed too and then added, more seriously “Amy, actually.”

“Oh.” she said, looking at him knowingly. Apparently, even Clara what-was-her-last-name-again knew something was up with the two of them. Rory had to admit it, he felt a bit nauseous just thinking about the subject, “Good luck with that, handsome.”

Rory chuckled.

After some time, silence settled upon them, but it didn’t seem to affect Clara. It made Rory uncomfortable, though.

“So, uh, what happened to you?” he asked, trying to fill the silence.

“Had a bit of a fight.” she said looking up at him with a polite smile, “Nothin’ serious though, just a broken wrist.”

“Oh, right, with the Master.” he remembered what the Doctor had just told him and Amy at breakfast.

She turned surprised “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“The Doctor told us. I mean, me and Amy.”

“Oh, right.”

“So, quick question.” said Rory as they got closer to the Defence hallway. A bunch of other Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were standing around, waiting for the classroom’s door to open.

“How’d you manage to get into a fight with him?”

“He was picking on some First Years.” she said as they reached the big group of Fifth Years.

“Oh.” said Rory, nodding, “Just doing the Prefect’s duty then, huh?”

He smiled at her and she laughed.

“What can I say?”

“Well, I hope he finally gets what he deserves.” He added bitterly. He looked around though, scanning the place to see if anyone was spying in on their conversation. It was pretty dangerous to trash talk Orion Master when there were other people listening. You never knew who could rat them out to him.

“Well don’t you seem a bit angry at the lad, hey?” asked Clara raising one of her eyebrows, making it disappear under her bangs “What’d he do to you?”

“Not me. Amy.” he said looking down.

“Oh. What happened?”

Rory looked up and saw Clara’s eyebrows pushed together in concern.

“We were in Second Year.” he started, “Had gone out to the lake after finals where over, when the Master comes out of nowhere and starts talking to the Doctor, loudly. After some time me and Amy decided to leave them alone since their conversation had started getting kinda intense, so we left. The Doctor followed us, leaving him behind. The Master started screaming and threatening to hex us so the Doctor told him to go away and cool off, but the Master followed us until we reached the Greenhouse. There, the Master took out his wand, and so did we. We were kids, but still he was powerful. He started throwing hexes and curses all around and somehow, one of them reached Amy. It was a memory charm, so Amy forgot all about it. They had to take her to Saint Mungo to restore her memory. Luckily, they could, but only because the spell hadn’t been done right.”

Rory closed his eyes at the memory. Amy had been so disorientated and angry. And scared. She hadn’t recognized him, at all. He had sworn to himself he would never let her get hurt like that again. He hoped he’d been doing a good job so far.

“Wow, that sounds terrible.” said Clara placing a hand over his forearm trying to comfort him.

“It was.” Rory blinked away a tear that threated to come out because of the memory.

“Okay class, sorry for being late. Let’s get inside, shall we?” Professor Song called from end of the hallway, making them both lift their heads in surprise. She stepped through the mob of students until she reached the door.

She opened the lock and all the students cramped through the threshold beside her. Clara and Rory waited at the end of the queue to get in. As they did, Professor Song gave them both a warm smile and asked Clara what had happened to her.

Professor Song was a young, blond and tanned woman. Her hair was as wild as her classes and, even if she had just graduated from Hogwarts two years ago, she seemed to have more experience than most of the other professors that had taken up the position before. It must have been because of all the traveling she did during her summers, visiting dragons in Rumania, the Pyramids in Egypt, the jungle in Brazil, amongst others.

Everybody loved Professor River Song. But, Clara specially, adored her.

Inside, while Clara gave Professor Song a small explanation about her arm, Rory looked for an empty space for him to sit and found two vacant spots at the end of the room.

He looked at Clara and found she’d finished with Song and was now scanning the room as well. As soon as she noticed the seats, she started making her way over there. Rory hesitated for a bit on whether or not to follow her, since this was kind of the longest conversation they had had, other than polite Hello’s, and he didn’t want to make things awkward by following her around. He debated with himself for a moment before the part of his brain that told him to follow won. To say he was an overthinker was little.

He sat beside her and took out his books, a piece of parchment, his wand and a quill. Clara did the same and soon enough, the class had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, any comment or kudos are very, very welcome, and happy holidays! Whether you celebrate Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanza, or nothing, or whatever, I really hope you have an amazing time and find some peace for the coming year, and thanks for reading! Come back soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, hello! Hope you're havin some lovely holidays, more lovely now, of course, that you get to read this chapter!

“Hey, guess who’s the centre of gossip this week?” Sing-sang Jenny as she plopped down in front of Clara and the girl in question looked up from her Transfiguration’s book with _death_ and _sleep deprived_ written all over her face. It was Wednesday morning and Jenny suspected Clara hadn’t gotten but a millimetre of sleep the night before.

“I’m guessing you already know?” asked Jenny with a wince, trying not to laugh at her friend.

“I haven’t got time for that, I’ve got this Transfiguration’s homework that needs to be handed to Professor McGonagall in about thirty minutes and I have absolutely zero percent of it written down bemuse I don’t fricking understand it and I just, ugh!” she said picking her mug and aggressively sipping her tea.

“Oh, you should get a tutor!”

Clara looked up to give her friend the most exasperated look she could muster. Jenny knew what she thought about tutors.

“C’mon Clara, gettin’ a tutor doesn’t mean cheating. It’s only help!” said the girl rolling her eyes, “I have a tutor!”

She knew it wasn’t cheating, she’d never actually said that. In fact, she encouraged other kids to get them. It was just that she, herself; she knew she could do it, she just wasn’t trying hard enough, that was all.

Clara sighted, “That’s only ‘cause you wanna get close to Madame Vastra and spend more time with’er.”

“Not true!” Jenny’s cheeks turned a pretty pink colour.

Then, it was Clara’s turn to roll her eyes.

“And anyways, that’s got nothing to do with the fact that you should get a tutor.” insisted Jenny, frowning at her.

Clara sighted, giving it only a slight glimpse of a thought. But she just couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She didn’t need help. After all, patience and hard work where her House’s best traits after loyalty. She was a Hufflepuff; she could pull through just fine on her own with her own hard work.

“I can do it just fine on my own.”

“Mornin’!” greeted a deep, cheery voice making them both turn. Danny plummeted down beside Jenny and served himself a cup of coffee in one swift movement.

“Tough night?” he asked Clara, seeing the bags under her eyes and the messy hair.

“Yeah.” Clara didn’t want to elaborate in case Danny felt like nosing in like Jenny.

“Transfiguration homework.” filled in Jenny.

“Ah.” He muttered smiling slightly and knowingly, “You know Clara; you should consider getting a tutor.”

Clara sighted and dropped her head onto her book, exhausted, while Jenny laughed.

“What?” asked Danny, confused.

“I just told her the exact same thing about a second before you appeared!” explained Jenny between laughs.

“Well, you should.” concluded Danny, sipping his coffee.

“No, I shouldn’t!” mumbled Clara, eyes closed, and face plastered against her transfiguration book.

“Who’s the best of the class?” asked Jenny, ignoring Clara’s protests.

“Er, I think it’s that Murdock kid, he’s always getting points for doing extra work’n all that.” said Danny “Though I don’t think he’ll be of much good. Maybe I could… help you?” he added more quietly.

“I said I don’t need a tutor!”

“Oh yes! Murdock could totally tutor Clara,” exclaimed Jenny excitedly, “if they’re not too busy snogging, for sure!”

Clara felt her face burn as she used her arms to hide it against the book. Danny, on the other hand, looked confused, his bushy eyebrows pushed together, and a slight tint of colour lit up his cheeks as he forgot all about the cup he had in his hand, midway to his lips.

“JENNY!” called Clara rather loudly as she raised her head to scold her friend, making a few heads turn. She didn’t even care enough to apologize; she was too busy glaring at her.

“Why would Clara and Murdock be snog–” started Danny.

“Someone called my name?” interrupted a cheery and all too familiar voice from behind Clara and she mentally face-palmed herself. Apparently, everything was against her today. She wondered which God she’d upset to be suffering this much embarrassment. Murdock, a smile pasted in his face, sat down beside her, apparently unaware of the flaming red tomato that had taken the place of Clara’s head.

“I love it when people do that, gives me an excuse to come up and chat with ‘em.”

This was working out to be one of the worst breakfasts of her life.

“Doc! How nice of you to join us.” greeted Jenny cheerfully. Clara glared at her some more, ignoring Murdock’s eyes as they landed on her for a moment before he turned back to Jenny.

“Thank you so much Jenny, always a pleasure!” he said, bowing his head, talking as if he talked to them on a daily basis, which he didn’t. “And Danny! Mr. Danny Pink! Congrats on the Captain thing-y, by the way.”

“Thanks.” responded Danny dryly, swiftly shifting his attention back to his cup.

Murdock picked up a Jammy Dodger from the table and chewed at it, completely unaware of the awkward atmosphere that’d settled upon them; him and Jenny, of course, who was enjoying herself much more than she should have.

“So, Clara, Transfiguration homework. How’s it pulling through?” she asked Clara, giving her a pointed look before turning towards Murdock and raising and eyebrow.

“Great.” she lied dryly, placing a hand over the empty parchment that was supposed to be her essay and trying to discreetly move it away from Murdock’s line of sight.

“Transfiguration homework? Need any help with it?” asked Doc, leaning in to see what she was reading.

“I’m fine.” Quickly said Clara, pushing the parchment further away.

“You sure? ‘Cause I’m free on first period. Slughorn has a soft spot for me and gave me some free time since I’ve already finished this week’s assignment.” he offered, smiling proudly.

_Why wouldn’t he stop smiling?_

_Annoyingly happy,_ Clara could add that to her list.

“Nah, don’t worry Doc, I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, okay here.”

“Okay then.”

“Okay.”

“Oh-kay… so who’s excited for Hogmeade?” interjected Danny, changing the subject before Jenny could suggest the tutor thing. Clara sighted in relief, looking over to the kind boy and mouthing ‘ _Thank you_ ’. He smiled at her and nodded.

“Oh, for sure I am! Are you, Jenny?” answered Murdock.

“Oh, me too.” Jenny spoke, although her excitement was clearly not as effervescent as it had been with the Transfiguration subject. Luckily, Murdock didn’t notice. “Haven’t had a butter beer in ages, how ‘bout you Doc, fancy a drink?”

“Oh no, I’m not really a drinking bloke. Gimme a tea anytime.” He said.

Clara noticed he was sitting extremely close to her and she remembered number 2 of her list: _no sense of personal space._ She tried scooting away and ignoring the conversation, remembering her unwritten essay and the imminent deadline. But it was no use.

“Well, I want to try fire whisky, too.” continued Jenny, “Always have, though Madam Rosemerta never sold me one. Next trip’s my chance, though, I have a contact now. Someone who can buy it for me.”

“Really?” asked Danny suspiciously.

“Yeah.” said Jenny confidently as she sipped the last of her tea, “It’s a fool proofed plan, it is.”

“By the way, when is the next trip?” asked Danny.

“I don’t know and I don’t care. Could you _please_ quiet down a little?” Clara snapped, although she hadn’t meant to. They all stared at her and she realized she must have come out ruder that she intended. But, hey, she was here first and they were the ones talking while she tried to pass her class.

“Why not?” asked Doc, leaning in again. Rudeness didn’t seem to stop him.

“’Cause I won’t be going and I need to finish this assignment.” She looked up at his big grey-green eyes and found his ever-growing cheerfulness of the utmost annoyance.

“Why not?” he seemed to ignore the assignment part.

“Because my dad won’t give written permission for me to go.” she sighed, keeping her tone matter-of-factly. She wondered if there was a limit for irritation a human could only endure before collapsing.

“Oh, well that’s rubbish.” he said, taking another Jammy Dodger and stuffing it in his mouth. “Permission shouldn’t be mandatory. We’re in Fifth Year, and you’re missing out on so much fun stuff!”

He didn’t have to remind her, thank you.

“Murdock!” a voice called over the general noise of the Great Hall and none other than Sarah Michaelson appeared, coming from behind both Clara and Murdock. She stopped in front of them and cocked her hip to the side, looking at Murdock expectantly.

He had obviously been trying to avoid her throughout the last week but there was so much you could do before someone found you, being as it is that they both inhabit the same castle.

“Hey… Sarah.” he greeted hesitantly as he awkwardly turned in his spot. Sarah looked around the table, examining each and every one of them. Her eyes lingering more over Clara, who was sitting outrageously close to her Murdock. Clara hoped she wasn’t getting into trouble with her. She really hoped not to get into someone as popular as Sarah’s bad side.

“Can we talk?” she asked cheerily, a smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her furious eyes. Her blond hair fell all the way to her ribs and her green eyes shown against her pail and clear skin. Her green tie was hung around her neck like a scarf and her shirt was untucked, the buttons popped open at the top.

“Sure, I mean, yes of course. Just, wait a sec.” he hurriedly said, and Sarah turned, already heading away from the group without even a slight goodbye.

“We need to talk, yeah?” he turned to Clara as he briskly stood up.

Clara, surprised, could only but nod.

Satisfied with her response, Doc turned and left after Sarah.

“What does he want to talk ‘bout with ‘ya?” asked Danny leaning in on the table once Doc’s figure exited the Great Hall’s doors.

“No idea.” said Clara sighing. Whatever it was, she thought, was trouble for another day. Right that moment, she needed to focused back on her essay, and so she did, putting grey-green eyed chin-boys off her head. She’d have time to think about Doc and his strange actions and handsome face and tall figure later. Right now, Transfiguration was her problem.

Danny scoffed, looking away, and then stood up.

“I don’t know what you and him are up to, Clara, but he’s bad news. I mean, everyone who surrounds him eventually gets hurt. And I don’t want you to get hurt, okay? So just, don’t be his friend.”

Then, he turned and left.

“Well someone’s gotten a bit overprotective, hasn’t he?” Jenny gave her a funny look before watching as Danny’s tall, corpulent figure disappeared among the mass of students in the Great Hall.

Clara felt strange for a moment, confused and hesitant. But that, too, she ignored, and kept on with her homework. She’d have time for Danny too when it was all done.

//

“What were you doing with _her_?” asked Sarah once they’d left the Great Hall far behind them, passing about three hallways and two stairs, both going down. The Doctor was sure they were somewhere near the kitchens and the Hufflepuff Basement but, other than that, he had no idea where he was.

“Just talkin’, you know? That thing humans tend to do to communicate and pass the time together?” answered the Doctor, not sure what to do or say in this kind of situations. “I am human, after all.” He laughed ironically.

“About what?”

“Hogsmeade mostly, though fire whisky was mentioned along the conversation. Also, Transfiguration homework, but that was kind of weird now that you mention it.” he combed back his hair with his hand, trying to understand what Sarah wanted to get to with this conversation.

“What?”

“Nothing, I’m ranting. So, what is it that you want discus?” he asked, clapping his hands together and offering her a smile.

The girl looked taken aback for a moment before steeling herself, both feet planted securely on the corridor’s cool stoned floor.

“I wanted to know if you’re ever going to ask me out.” she stated, crossing her arms over her rather voluptuous chest and giving him a dangerous look.

“Oh.” he said, gulping as a knot formed inside his throat, “Uhm…”

He fixed his bowtie and passed his hand over his hair again, trying to clear his thoughts.

How do you tell a girl that you just kissed her only ‘cause she kissed you first but that you really don’t like her in _that_ way?

Because he really did appreciate Sarah. She was nice and fun to hang around. But he didn’t like her _that_ way. He really doubted he would _ever_ like _anyone_ that way after Rose and River.

“Er… see, I don’t– I– I like you Sarah.” he started. She smiled, letting out a relieved sight.

“But see, just, not in _that_ way, you know. I just find you rather attractive and fun to kiss and really cute, but I don’t–”

_Slap._

“Well, I think I deserved that.” muttered the Doctor, eyes closed as his whole face tingled with pain.

_Slap._

“Again.” he muttered defeatedly.

He opened his eyes and found Sarah had disappeared. He could hear her angry footsteps resonating throughout the long hallway, though. He shook his head, trying to clear the sting from his reddening cheeks.

“Yeah, I definitely deserved that.”

//

The rest of the day was as rubbish as the start. He didn’t manage to bump into Oswin again, meaning he hadn’t had time to talk to her.

He really wanted to talk to her. He actually found himself waiting for the bell to ring just so his opportunity of catching Oswin in the hallways would appear. He wanted to see her face, her big brown Bambi eyes, her funny nose, her thin lips and powerful eyebrows. He was starting to get distracted during class by thinking of her, and that wasn’t exactly good.

So, he needed to talk to her, see her, so he would stop thinking about her so much. Simple.

“Have you seen Rory?” asked Amy for the tenth time that evening as they sat around the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common room. Apparently she had the same problem as the Doctor.

“No, I haven’t. Just as you haven’t, and Strax hasn’t and anyone from Gryffindor hasn’t. You ought to widen your search party if you wish to really find him, since he’s not actually Gryffindor and all.” said the Doctor while he skimmed through his Divination book. He was irritated, for some reason, and the fact that he was feeling like that and didn’t know why irritated him even more. And well, Amy hadn’t been the best of companies the last few days. Not since the thing with Rory happened.

“Where do you think he’s been hiding? I mean, it’s been four days! He couldn’t have stayed in the Ravenclaw Tower for four whole days, could he?”

“I don’t know Pond, why don’t you go ask him yourself.” muttered the Doctor miserably. His day had been horrible, he hadn’t seen Oswin since their extremely awkward breakfast and Sarah had slapped him. Twice. And on top of that, Mrs. Trelawny had predicted he’d be dead by the end of the year (which actually wasn’t that big of a deal but did manage to get his mood even sourer). So, he wasn’t feeling extra cheerful, exactly.

And even less when it came to Amy’s complicated relationship with Rory who hadn’t shown his face for the past four days, only going to class when it didn’t involve the Gryiffindors. The Doctor found that pretty extreme, but hey, it was Rory after all. What else could he have done? Confront Amy? He’d have to be daft.

“Someone’s in a bad mood?” noticed Amy, dropping her quill onto her parchment and turning to face him with a smirk on her lips, “Does it have something to do with Michaelson slapping you?”

The Doctor sighted, rubbing his hands over his face as he, too, let go of his book to face her. Then, he thought better of it and stood up from his spot on the couch, turning towards the hole in the wall.

“Kind of. I’m gonna go take a bath, yeah? Be back soon. Don’t miss me too much. Finish your homework!” he started towards the exit and picked his robe from the back of the couch on the way out, not even looking back at Amy who’d started to protest.

As he got out he put on his robe. The chill wind that ran through the castle announcing summer was practically gone only managing to freeze his exposed cheeks.

He hurried to the Prefect’s bathroom on the second floor and, quickly stating the password, the Doctor entered.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we're back and sentimental, hope you enjoy the next piece of fluffy Clara/Eleven quality time ;)

Clara’s day had gone from horrible to terribly horrible squared.

After the awful, absolute disaster that was breakfast she’d had Transfiguration and her homework hadn’t been finished so she had gotten a bad grade and two points taken away.

Then, she’d had Potions. Awesome. Her favourite subject.

After that was lunch, which she had spent in the Hufflepuff Basement napping because she just couldn’t stand upright anymore. After that was Charms, two hours, and she had been terribly hungry, having skipped lunch and Rory hadn’t shown up so she’d been alone, too. Her mood was plummeting rapidly and violently.

So, as she made her way back to the Basement, she passed through the kitchens and picked something up from Wiley, even if the house elf was against students getting food out the official dinning hours. After a moment of convincing, Clara got out with a lemon pie, an apple and some dried fruit and nuts.

In the Basement she decided on some Divination’s homework but soon fell asleep over it.

Finally, when Jack Harkness, a boy from her year, woke her up on his way back from dinner, there was only an hour left before her rounds started.

Clara sighted, defeated. Deciding Divination was for another day she stood and stretched, her whole body aching from the irregular sleep she’d gotten, her head throbbed, and her wrist had started hurting again, but there wasn’t any more of the painkilling potion Madame Pomphrey’d given her. The only solution, she concluded, was a warm bath in the Prefect’s bathroom on the second floor.

Ever since she was little, she’d loved taking baths. Now at Hogwarts, she’d learned baths were a whole new and better thing than she’d even imagined. They were, quite literally, magical.

She exited the Basement and made her way through the now dark hallways with giddy excitement, until she reached the right portrait, muttered the password, and entered the room.

Steam clouded her vision the second she set foot inside and the up-beat tempo of an old swing song washed over her ears, coming from some kind of old radio lost inside the steam to her left. The temperature was so much hotter than outside that Clara felt like it’d physically wrapped itself around her.

“Hello?” she called, wondering who on earth would be taking a bath at that time in the day.

“Oswin?” asked the mist, incredulously.

Only one person called her that and Clara smiled. It had to be Doc. She hoped he didn’t remember the whole breakfast fiasco, though.

“Doctor?” she called unsure, a smile creeping up her tired lips despite the memories from a few hours ago. At least there was no Jenny or Danny or Sarah there to nose in on them.

“So now you’re callin’ me Doctor, eh? Mean’s we’re friends, don’t it?” he teased. After a moment she heard the splashing of water followed by his soggy footsteps against the tiled floor and saw him, appearing through the mist right in front of her in nothing but his boxers. He was dripping wet.

“I–” started Clara a little taken aback by his nakedness. Quickly pushing the thought aside, she surprised herself by saying, “I guess we are, _Doctor._ ”

“Then I might as well invite you to join me in this pleasant and warm bath, don’t I?” he smiled and raised his none-existing eyebrows, turning back towards the mist and offering her his hand. She took it tentatively and stepped forward. As the steam dissolved, she caught sight of the huge bathtub, covered in bubbles and foam of a hundred different colours. Water even covered the tiles surrounding the tub, clearly from Doc’s time in it. Clara smiled to herself at the thought of Doc playing around in the tub like a small child would, because he was definitely not going to be the kind to just sit around and enjoy, that was for sure. A lovely rubber duck near the far end of the tub agreed with her.

Light washed in just enough to give the scene a slight tint of golden shine as the siren in the stained-glass window over the bathtub washed her hair silently, looking down at them. Clara questioned it for a moment since then sun had already set a few hours ago but decided to let it be. It was all too nice to question anyways.

“I guess I might as well do.” Muttered Clara, already relishing in the thought of stepping into the water.

“Wisest of choices, my dear Clara Oswin Oswald!”

She pulled up her hair onto a ponytail and started stripping.

It turned out, in the Wizarding World, taking communitarian baths was a very common thing, not in the slightest as taboo as in the muggle world, even between different genders. Of course, for obvious reasons, it was prohibited in Hogwarts for students to bath together without a muggle swimming suit or underwear on.

Clara was already used to it. She had bathed with Jenny, Strax and Danny about a million times over. But, for some reason, she felt a bit queasy about bathing with the Doctor. Probably because she’d only met him properly about two weeks ago, maybe less. Once she’d stripped all her clothes but her underwear, she stepped closer to the bathtub and tried the water with her toe, hesitantly. It was exactly how she liked it. A little bit hotter than what was normally considered comfortable, but just like Clara loved it.

“It’s perfect, ain’t it?” remarked the Doctor as he leaned down and, holding with his hands onto the edge of the tiled floor, he prompted himself down onto the tub’s bench, only his face and skinny shoulders breaking the surface of the water. “I don’t know how it does it, but it’s always the right temperature.”

“Magic.” Clara said as she stepped around the tub and got in, sitting down opposite from him. It was as if someone had suddenly cast a spell onto her, her whole body just relaxed once it came in contact with the water, like a heavy and asphyxiating burden had just been lifted off of her and she could finally breath and move. She closed her eyes and rested her head back on the tiled floor, enjoying herself and allowing the smells of the different soaps wash over her nose and distract her; camomile, lavender, chocolate, mint, fresh tea and cookies. Somehow, it all mixed together in perfect harmony making one of the sweetest smells Clara had ever sensed.

“Yeah, magic.” murmured the Doctor from across the tub as he mirrored her position.

They stayed in silence for some time, enjoying the water, until Clara opened her eyes and asked something that had been bugging her since she first heard of him, all the way back in First Year.

“Why Doctor?”

//

“What?” he asked, opening his eyes in surprise. His mind had wondered off to some random place far off into the galaxies as the rhythm of the song that’d been playing on the radio he’d left by the door and the smells and sensations washed over him, and he hadn’t exactly paid attention to what she had just said. The song ended with a striking cord and silence filled the room for a split moment.

“Why Doctor? Why do your friends call you Doctor?”

“It’s a… long story. Kind of cheesy really.” he shrugged.

He wanted to tell her, though. He felt like he could trust her with his life, for some reason. She puzzled him to no ends, but he could trust her. It was a strange sensation, completely new. But he wanted her to know him, and he wanted to know her, too. But he didn’t know how to tell her all of his stories. All of his life. He was sure it was too much to say it all at once, but he wasn’t exactly good at the whole sharing feelings and deep stuff, so he was sure he would end up scaring her off or something. _What if she looked at me differently once I tell her everything? What if she didn’t like me after I’d spilled my whole being before her? What if she was afraid of me?_

But he wanted her to know. And, besides, she’d asked.

“Go on.” she said waving her hands around in the water, playing with the bubbles on the surface. A small cluster of foam landed on the tip of her nose and the Doctor couldn’t help but smile. She was so cute.

“Well, you know how I started at Hogwarts a year later, right?” he started with the basics, the ones that didn’t actually involve too much emotional tug.

“I... didn’t know that.” she said. Her big Bambi eyes stared at him, expectantly.

“Well, I did. I’m actually a year older than all you lot, I’m 16. And I was 12 when I started ‘cause the year before that, well I –” he found himself at a loss of words, but Clara didn’t rush him, so he took his time.

“I used to live at an orphanage, a wizarding orphanage, which are pretty much the same as muggle orphanages except there are witches and wizards in charge, and the children are all magical. But anyways, I lived there since my mum and dad had died when I was little but, just before going off to Hogwarts like we were supposed to, I run away.” He tried to be as nonchalant as he could, even adding in a small smile at the end.

He could perfectly see the moment her face fell, sadness and pity washing over her feisty features, along with concern as she learned he had no mum or dad. And then, saw the sudden change to surprise.

“What? Why’d you run away?” she asked, bewiled.

“Mainly? ‘Cause I was bored, I wanted to see the world before I had to go on and get a proper education and all that boring stuff. This was my last chance to be free. And I felt stuck in that tiny little brick house with the million bedrooms in that tiny little town in that tiny little country. I wanted to travel, discover, live.”

Clara smiled as her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment and he saw she understood him completely.

“The Master never forgave me.” He continued, suddenly sour, going into the part of the story he didn’t like, “He ratted me out the moment I left and, of course, the Ministry went after me. I managed to live on my own for about three months. I got all the way down to Egypt! But, of course, the grown-ups had to catch up to me.” He pouted and rolled his eyes. Clara laughed.

“You really did all that?” she asked suspicious, “As an eleven-year-old boy?”

The Doctor nodded vigorously, smiling proudly for just a second. “Absolutely. I even appeared on the papers! the Daily Prophet asked for a full interview once they got me to London. I never went back to the brick house. Me and the Master, we only reunited once I came here, to the castle. Later on, I heard how the orphanage had been closed and suddenly understood why he hated me so much.” A bitter taste filled his mouth at the memory, and he pursed his lips, looking for the right words to explain, to excuse himself.

“After I escaped, the Ministry conducted a full investigation for ‘negligent practices’ and decided it was no place for children to stay at, anymore. They all got dispersed, the kids, my siblings; sent out to other houses, separated. We’d all formed a family there, and I had broken it up only because I wanted to have a little fun. It had been our home, but because of me, it was never more!”

He hadn’t realized he’d raised his voice until he finished talking and the silence that followed was absolute. What’d happened to the radio?

Clara looked taken aback, her eyes watery and her mouth slightly parted as she looked at him, leaning forward a bit as if to reach out to him. She didn’t, though.

“It’s okay, really.” He hurried to add along with a forced chuckle, if only to fill out the dense silence, “It wasn’t like they all just got abandoned. Some even got adopted. I got to see the Master again, and a few other who ended up here, too. Martha, who’s in Gryffindor and Jack Harkness, a really friendly Puff, I bet you know him, for instance, and Donna too, she’s in First Year.”

He tried to hide the sadness that it brought him to think of them. Both Martha and Jack had forgiven him, even if the Master hadn’t, and Donna’d been too little to even remember, but he still felt somewhat responsible for them. He couldn’t shake the heavy feeling of failure it brought him to think back on that.

Then he looked up at Clara, unsure about the lack of words coming out of her always functioning mouth. She always had something to say about everything, except now. He could see the wheels turning in her head as she processed what he’d just said, a whirlpool of emotions clouding her face as he felt a knot forming in his throat. Why was it always so hard to read her?

“I still don’t get, why Doctor?” she said slowly as her features settled on a curious look.

“It’s a promise.” He said, trying hard to focus and relish in the attention she was currently giving him and not think of all the people he’d left behind. “I picked out the name as sort of a promise, to myself, mainly; to be kind, and to never forget the people who were with me, once; and to be conscious. I don’t blame the fact that I left, I blame the way that I left. That was the problem. So, to help everyone I could, and to never hurt anyone, ever again, basically.” He swallowed, feeling his eyes getting a little misty. He wasn’t scared to cry but he did want to get his words out before he did so. _“‘Never cruel nor cowardly. Never give up, never give in._ ’”

The Doctor waited, then. Her face went back to the whirlpool.

“I get it now.” she finally said, although her feelings remained a mystery to the Doctor’s anxious mind, “I think. You just don’t want anything like that to happen ever again.”

The Doctor chuckled, relieved.

“Thank you, yes.” he muttered, his voice coming out soggy and weak. He looked down at his hands in the water, the tips were all wrinkly and soft. They’d been in there for at least a half an hour now, he calculated.

"That, and it kind of fitted perfectly with my last name, Murdock, doc, Doctor." he added with a small laugh. She rolled her eyes.

Silence settled for a moment before Clara spoke again.

“What did you want to talk about, by the way?”

The Doctor looked at her quizzically, his wet hair falling over his bright green eyes as he raised his sight. The water’d started to cool off a little, so he blamed that for the shiver that went down his spine at the sight of her winking at him with that half smirk of hers that always managed to catch him off guard. So, the subject had been changed, the Doctor felt a little relieved.

“Oh, right!” His mind rushed to catch up to his mouth as he talked, feeling excited again. “Hogsmeade! I can’t believe you’ve never been there! We need to get you to Hogsmeade, its imperative that you get a butterbeer at the three broomsticks and check out the Shrienking Shack and Honeydukes and, oh! The prank Shop’s fantastic, have I told you I love shops? It’s great, you’ll see!”

Clara laughed.

“Oh no.” she said, shutting the Doctor’s imminent second rush of words. “I’m okay, really. I don’t need to go, and I appreciate the silence of the empty castle every once in a while.”

_Lie._ The Doctor’s chest started tingling with excitement as he tried to hide the smile he felt coming to his lips. Mystery! All thoughts concerning his past were well past forgotten.

“Are you sure about that, Clara Oswin Oswald?” he asked, leaning in.

Clara, never one to back off a challenge, leaned in too and their faces where just a few millimetres away when she finally spoke, in a whisper, with an eyebrow cocked and that flirtatious – because there was no other way to describe it really – smirk of hers plastered in her beautiful face. The tickling in his chest expanded to his limbs and the small of his back and he almost couldn’t stand still.

“Are you questioning what I just said?”

She looked so sure of herself, and so full of herself, it was almost infuriating. It wasn’t her words really; it was her attitude.

“Well yes, Miss Oswald. I don’t see how you of all people would back off an adventure such as this one.” Replied the Doctor in the same whisper, the same challenge.

Clara rolled her eyes and the tension broke.

“It’s not an adventure, it’s just an old village near the castle.” She leaned back and looked away. The Doctor felt a little disappointed, but not much. He knew he could still get to the bottom of it. “Not much to see except maybe some prank store and a bar.”

The Doctor drew in an exuberantly offended breath and gave her his best ‘how dare you!’ look, complete with the raised eyebrows and rounded mouth.

Clara laughed immediately.

“It’s so much more than that! It’s the only all-wizards village in all of Britain, for starters! You’ll see, I’ll show you!” he decided it then and there, he was taking her to Hogsmeade.

“I can’t go, Doctor, I ain’t got a permit, remember?” Clara waved him off, causing the surface of the water to break and some of it to splash the Doctor’s chest and chin.

“Oi!” he called, returning the splash with a laugh. Then, a thought occurred to him and he smiled. She recognized the look in his face in an instant.

“Oh no. No, no, no, no–”

She tried to sway away from him, but the tub was only so big. He opened his arms, exposing his bare chest, and jumped her. Screaming “Geronimo!” He threw himself onto her, trapping her between his arms, and pulling both their heads, and bodies, under the warm water.

Underwater, he opened his eyes only for a moment and he saw the flurry of bubbles condensed around them part for a moment and caught a glimpe of Oswin’s bright smile and closed eyes, she was laughing although no one could hear it, just as he was. He let go of her and she immediately rose to break the surface and breath. Meanwhile, the Doctor chose to stay under, feeling the last of his laughter rumble in his chest and the strange taste of soap in his mouth, his eyes closed once more to stop the sting of soap. He rather enjoyed being a hundred percent underwater. All the sound where muffled and he felt warm; the only problem was that he couldn’t breathe, a problem with a simple solution, had he had his wand with him. As he sat in the bottom of the tub, though, he thought back to their previous conversation and, as always, a knot formed in his stomach, but now it kind of felt a bit less tangled than before. Maybe it _could_ be untangled, after all. _Well, it all seemed to depend on_ who _untangled it._

After a moment’s thought, his lungs started to burn, and he felt someone kick him on the shin meaning Oswin was either bored of being alone or preoccupied he had died underwater.

He broke the surface and inhaled deeply. He opened his eyes and wiped out the remaining water that was dripping from his face with his hand.

“You sure can stay underwater for a long time.” she said, giving him a staggered look, an eyebrow raised up. Her face was also wet now, along with her short brown hair.

“Really? How much?” he asked passing his hand through his wet hair and combing it back, sitting beside Oswin on the tub’s bench, their backs against its wall, “’bout a minute and a half, I think.” she said, bumping her shoulder to his.

“Ah! that’s not much. This time, me and Rory, we were at his father’s lake house one summer and we started this bet. Whoever stayed underwater the longest, won. I stayed under for ‘bout two minutes, forty seconds, I rekon.” He leaned back and placed both his hands behind his head, raising his chin proudly.

Oswin scoffed, rolling her eyes “Show off.”

Then, she pinched his stomach, making his jump and recoil, laughing. She laughed, too.

“It’s just the truth, simple as that.”

“Just like it’s _the simple truth_ that girls just jump unto your lips once you snap your fingers?” she asked, nonchalantly changing the subject.

The Doctor blushed, taken by surprise. After a moment’s though he said, crossing his arms, “I don’t always snap my fingers.” _And it didn’t work with you_ , he wanted to add, but somehow found a knot in his throat that wouldn’t allow him.

“Oh. What? You clap your hands?” she asked with a smile and twinkle behind her eyes, faux incredulousness tinging her tone.

“Or I just talk to them.” he explained, “Talking’s usually what I’m strongest at. Always up for a good chat, that’s me.”

“Good thing I met you then.”

“Why’s that?”

“’Cause, I just love talking.” She extended the 'o' in love and gave him a dramatic look over, supressing a smile, “Can never get enough of it, really.”

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?”

Clara exploded in laughter, unable to answer him. But then the bell rang.

“Oh god! I forgot. My rounds!” she said standing up and stepping out of the bathtub in a blink.

“What?” asked the Doctor, confused. He was rather enjoying himself with her, why would she want to leave?

“I’ve got to do my rounds.” explained the girl in a rushed flurry of movements as she dried herself with one of the towels, “That duty we both share ‘cause we’re Prefects?”

“Oh.” said the Doctor and looked away. He felt like he was prying into something he shouldn’t be, watching her get dressed. Even if she _had_ been in her undies, sitting with him, for at least half an hour, he guessed more, in the tub.

She got dressed as fast as she could and the started towards the hole in the wall, murmuring something to herself.

“Bye, Doctor, see ‘ya next time, yeah?” she bid farewell, turning her head and accidentally hitting herself in the face with her still wet ponytail. Her features alert and sharp again.

“Definitely.” he smiled, still sitting on the bathtub, playing with the bubbles, trying not to let the disappointment he felt show in his tone.

She went out and the portrait closed itself behind her.

The Doctor sighted and laid back against the wall of the bathtub, wondering what it would have been like to spend the rest of the day, or rather night, with her, just talking. Not like in the infirmary, when they’d only just met each other, but like they’d done right there and then, sharing themselves, deeper. He wanted to do that, one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everybody! and sorry for the delays, but shit's been crazy over here with all the holiday things so I couldn't upload any sooner. Hope you all got a nice rest and a fun night, enjoyed the holidays and all that. As always, kudos and comments, kudos and comments <3


	9. Chapter 9

Clara woke up the next day feeling fresh and rested, like she could do anything. She got dressed and went down to have breakfast even before Jenny, who was a really early morning’s person, had even woken up.

She had breakfast alone, finishing her Divination homework, accompanied by the muffled sounds of the few other early birds eating in the Great Hall too. Soon enough her friends and the bigger crowd arrived and, as the Hall filled itself, Clara went on to have her Charms class, and then Defence. She tried talking to Rory then, knowing by now, thanks to all the gossip Jenny transmitted, about his ‘ _problem’_ with Amy, but no such luck.

“You know, you should just talk to Amy. Just get everything out in the open, be honest.” she whispered to him while they practiced their Imperturbus Charm, “You can’t just run and hide from her until both your school careers are over.”

“I may as well try.” he muttered, concentrated on the pillow he was trying to protect and sighing heavily once it caught flame as soon as he tried to charm it. Clara looked around while Rory put out his pillow, searching for Professor Song. She was ways away at the front of the class with some Hufflepuffs who had trouble with a levitating pillow, so Clara returned her focus to the conversation.

“You can’t, Rory. You’ve got to face this.”

Rory didn’t respond and she sighted, seeing him deflecting her by staring intently at his half-burnt pillow, “What if she finds you? ‘Cause she’s _bound_ to find you someday. She _is_ Amelia Pond, she won’t stop. If there’s anything that girl is, besides endless legs, is stubborn.”

He sighed even heavier now and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, a though occurred to him and he turned to her, alarmed, “But you’re not telling’er, right?”

“What kind of friend do you think I am? And, anyways, I have never even talked to her. What would I do? Just run up to her and say ‘hey I know where your best friend, who also seemed to have a crush on you, is. Wanna go get him’?”

“Right.” he said nodding his head repeatedly, relieved, turning back to his pillow and raising his wand.

“So, what _will_ you do when she finds you?” insisted Clara, still not ready to give up on him yet.

“I guess I’ll figure it out when it happens, which I’m hopping, won’t _actually_ happen.”

“Well, it will happen.” she said turning to her own pillow as Professor Song made her way towards them with a funny look in her face, “Eventually.”

She heard Rory sigh, defeated.

Clara didn’t want to seem like a pushy friend, mostly because they had just started being friends, but she was right, and she did feel like this was the only way for him. Amy would, eventually, catch up to him, and expect answers to whatever she’ll be asking. And, Clara was sure, Rory wouldn’t have any and would end up screwing things up.

But, she too, sighed. Knowing Rory’s nature of avoiding problems, especially when it involved Amy and he didn’t know what to do about it, was impossible to change.

//

She parted ways with a moody and half-burnt Rory after Defence and walked the short distance to the Great Hall to have some lunch. That day they were serving a magnificent lamb stew that warmed her to her bones. As she ate, she pitied Rory who’d probably gone off to the Ravenclaw tower to wait out lunchtime since he was too afraid to actually come down and eat something. After lunch, she had a free period so, as the crowded hallways emptied and classes begun again, she found herself walking alone through the chilly October winds of northern Britain that made their ways into the castle’s old paths. She intended on going down to the Basement, but decided on taking the long way around, her mood quite high and, even if cold, feeling much like taking a long stroll. Besides, she had little much else to do, so she walked.

Suddenly, as she passed by the stairs that led to the fourth floor, a familiar whistling stopped her. Now, it was her turn to join in on the Doctor’s tune.

It was exactly the same tune she had been whistling when he had joined in on her, so it wasn’t hard to follow, much to Clara’s amusement.

After a few steps she ran into him at the hallway’s corner.

“He-hey! Oswin!” he called cheerfully, opening his arms and pulling her into a hug before she could respond.

“Knew I recognized the whistling.” he added as he let go of her.

“Well it’s a rather catchy tune, ain’t it?” she laughed lightly, fixing her cast over her shoulder.

“Yeah, it is” he agreed. His long hair fell just over his grey-green eyes, shading them but not exactly hiding them altogether. “Mind if I accompany you?”

Clara couldn’t help but smile, “Not at all, my dear Doctor.”

He smiled and raised his eyebrows comically, returned to the whistling, and Clara joined in as they started walking again, now both in the same direction.

Once the tune ended and they both inhaled deeply the Doctor asked “So, have you seen Rory around? I heard you have Defence with him and I’m starting to get worried, haven’t seen him in almost a week or so.”

“Yeah…” Clara winced, remembering her earlier conversation with the dark-blond Ravenclaw “It’s about him and the Pond girl, right?”

“Yes,” he sighed, combing back his hair with his fingers, “they’re two of my oldest friends and they’re behaving like children. I can’t even talk to one ‘cause he’s avoiding absolutely everyone. And the other one won’t shut up about the first one. They’re driving me nuts.”

“Well you can always come to me. I won’t drive you nuts, I promise.” said Clara raising her good hand to her heart and crossing over it with a pointed finger, “Scout’s honour.”

“There’re no scouts in Hogwarts.”

“Well I couldn’t just promise you I wouldn’t drive you mad, could I? That’s _exactly_ what friends are for. Driving each other mad.”

The Doctor chuckled and gently pushed Clara with his shoulder, “Ah, Clara Oswin Oswald.”

She rolled her eyes and returned the push, but it turned out a bit stronger than she meant to and ended up driving him into the wall.

“Oi!” he exclaimed.

“Oh! Sorry!” she rushed to apologize, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the wall.

“That wasn’t very nice of you.” he pouted, steadying his feet.

“Hey! You started it. And I apologized. I’m sorry.”

“I know. I’m just messin’ with you, Os.” He smiled before reaching over and ruffling her hair with his hand. She swatted it almost instantly and they both laughed again.

“So, what d’you think? Will they get together or will they live in an eternal cycle of awkwardness with you in the middle?” Clara, referring to Amy and Rory’s situation, asked, as they returned to walking the hallways of Hogwarts.

“Well, I hope for their sake, and mine, that they’ll get together.” said the Doctor shoving his hand into his pockets and slightly skipping along with her, “I mean, Rory’s had a crush on her since they met and Amy’s just oblivious, but I think she feels the same way, deep down. She likes acting all tough, but she’s always had a soft spot for that boy.”

“I hope so. If not, Rory’s heart will be smashed to pieces.”

“Well, this is me.” the Doctor stopped, pointing the classroom they had just passed by.

“Oh,” Clara tried not to sound disappointed, “well, have a nice class, Doctor.”

“’Till next time, Clara Oswin Oswald.” he waved at her with a mischievous smile, crossing the threshold to the Study of Ancient Runes’ classroom walking backwards.

“Bye, Doctor, don’t trip.” she laughed, walking away.

//

“Sorry Professor.” Clara murmured as she almost passed through Professor Binn, jumping to the side just in time. She’d gone to the Basement and taken a nap after her talk with the Doctor, which had managed to stretch just long enough to make her late for her History class.

“No problem, Miss Osman.” He paid no attention to her as he went on to close the classroom’s door.

Clara walked briskly to the back of the room and plopped down beside Jenny, not even caring that Binns had probably mistaken her for someone else.

As the professor started his lecture Jenny turned to her and muttered “Hey, what took you so long?”

“I was napping.” Clara admitted with a little shame colouring her cheeks. Of course, Jenny took the colour and interpreted it her own way. She snickered, muttering something along the lines of ‘I bet the Doctor didn’t think it was napping.” but Clara paid no attention to it. Instead, she looked up front and saw the subject written in the board. ‘Giant Wars’.

She wrote it down and then focused on Binns. Luckily, Jenny didn’t elaborate on her teasing. On the downside, soon enough her eyelids started to get heavy.

“Clara!” called Jenny in a hushed whisper just as the other girl was closing her eyes.

“Wha- What?” she asked, jumping a little on her seat and making the boy in front of her turn, alarmed.

“Don’t fall asleep on me’ere.”

“Sorry.” She said to both Jenny and the boy who huffed and turned back to Binns. Jenny, on the other hand, leaned in and whispered,

“So, you bumped into Murdock, huh?”

Clara sighted, surprised Jenny’d found out so fast. “Not again with the mocking Jenny, please. We’re just friends, he’s my friend, nothing more.”

“Okay, okay.” Jenny leaned back, raising her hands in a surrender gesture.

Clara, relived, returned her attention to Binns.

“So, how’s the friendship going along then?” Jenny’s cheeky smile was back a second later.

“Jenny!” warned Clara, quietly.

“What? I need something to distract me before I die of dullness.” she whined, raising her shoulders.

“It’s good.” Gave in Clara, remerging the moment in the bathroom last night. How he had poured his whole life out to her, his past. Did he do that with everyone who he decided where his friends? Did Rory and Amy know? _Of course_ , said a petulant voice in the corner of her mind. Did he do that often? Did he tell Sarah Michaelson?

_Wow, wow, Clara, hold your horses, why’re you comparing yourself to her? She’s his girlfriend, probably, of course she knows._

“Just ‘it’s good’?” Jenny insisted, “Nothin’ more? I need somethin’ juicy Clara, work with me’ere.”

“Wha– Why would you need somethin’ ‘juicy’?” whispered back Clara, outraged.

“’Cause, this year’s gossip’s been so much more boring than last.” she explained matter-of-factly, “The only thing people talk about it your ‘heroic and long-lasting’ battle with the Master, which half of it is lies.”

“So you wanna gossip about me and the Doctor?”

“ _Oh,_ _the Doctor_? He lets you call him ‘the Doctor’?”

“Shut up, Jenny.”

“Fine.” defeated, Jenny munched at her thumbnail and pouted, “Boring.”

They both turned and stared through Professor Binns for some time, but it was too much for Jenny to stand. She yawned dramatically and turned to Clara once more.

“How ‘bout Rory and Amy?”

“What about them?”

“Well I saw you talkin’ to Rory in Defence this morning. You’re probably the only person he’s talked to in, like, five days.”

“Oh, well, he’s hopping the problem’ll just disappear in time or somethin’.”

“What a fool.”

“Yeah, though I think he’s more scared than shy or anything. Like, real, life or death, scared.”

“Scared? That Miss Pond’ll like him back or that she won’t?”

“I think both.”

//

After Potions that day, the Doctor went on to see Professor Song. He’d been meaning to since the day before but, somehow, she always managed to disappear just as he was about to approach her.

Since it was the end of the last lesson of the day all the students were heading for their respective Common rooms, so the Doctor had to fight his way on the hallways to reach the Defence Against the Dark Art’s classroom. The door was ajar once he got there. He knocked lightly on it and watched as River’s mess of curls turned and revealed her surprised face. He immediately smiled, seeing such a face. She was sitting at the teacher’s desk, on the far end of the room, her back to him.

She didn’t exactly smile. Her face turned from surprised, to delightfully surprised, to panicked, to finally angry.

“What in the name of sanity are you doing here Murdock?!” she asked in an energetic whisper. She walked briskly from her desk to the door behind him and shut it. Then, she turned to him and asked again “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”

“I– I came to see you.” He tried his most charming smile, but River only huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Why?”

“I just felt like chattin’ with ‘ya, can’t I?”

 _Lie,_ whispered a voice in his head. Truth be told, his chat with Oswin had left him thinking about who was important to him. And River was. He wanted her back, madly.

“Well remember, I’m your teacher now, okay?” she said, giving him a stern look before turning to back to her desk, “So, no funny business.”

“When have I even done any _funny business_ with you?”

River rolled her eyes and a small smile escaped her lips, but luckily, she had her back turned to the Doctor, so he didn’t see it. Feeling regret wash over her, she turned to him with a frown instead.

“You know what I mean, Murdock.”

The Doctor only laughed, his fingers fidgeting behind his back and a cheeky smile in his face, undazzled by her apathy. He felt the familiar buzz in his chest was back, the same one that had been his constant companion that summer they had spent together.

“Okay” he said as he watched her sit down at the old, sturdy desk filled with papers and quills. She started rifling through them with haste, looking everywhere but up at his puppy-dog eyes.

“Can I help you with something then?” she asked, annoyed.

“How’s your day been?” he tried, walking over until he could lean onto the edge of the desk. She rolled her eyes once more and returned to her search.

“Okay, bad joke. Can I help you with… this?”

“Maybe.” she said, “You know anything about grading papers?”

“I– I don’t, no.”

“Then I guess not.” she said sharply.

“River.” the Doctor reached down and placed a hand over hers, finally making her look up. He was serious, a demanding tone in his voice, all funny and flirt gone.

“What is it, Raleigh?” she asked, looking away instantly. The Doctor felt as if an invisible fist had propelled itself at him, landing on his chest and pressuring all the air out of his lungs. He couldn’t believe she couldn’t even call him by the nickname she herself had helped him choose.

“I love you.” he pleaded in a whisper.

River closed her eyes and he saw a small tear escape as she begged with quivering lips, “Please don’t.”

“I love you and I don’t understand what the problem with you and me being together is!” he felt something push at him to scream and rage, “I’m gonna be seventeen next year; I’m old enough, what’s the problem?”

“We’ve discussed this.”

Almost as if she’d pulled a mask on, River opened her eyes with a new steely determination engraved upon them. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line and her hands were fists over the table, far away from where the Doctor’s palm laid, helpless.

“No. No, we haven’t. All we’ve done is me listening to you as you say you don’t love me anymore, which I doubt is even true. You’ve always been a terrible liar, River.”

“Look, you should go out there and be with girls your own age, girls who’d love to love you, not me.” Her tone was definite and commanding, a tone the Doctor would have loved to hear had it not been in the current circumstances. She stood up and pointed to the closed door.

“Why not you?!”

“You don’t want to know.” she whispered; jaw clenched.

“Yes, I do.” he demanded, ignoring her raised arm, “I do want to know.”

River sighed and sat down, slouching and dropping her head in her hands, “I thought I could do this. Come here, teach, pretend you’re not sitting there. I just can’t.”

The Doctor was speechless, so he waited, leaning on the desk with his hands, giving River her space but not backing out.

She finally looked up after a long moment and said “I do love you Doctor, but I’m afraid I can’t love you anymore. I am _so_ sorry.”

“What?” he asked, his voice raising, incredulous. This was even worse than what she had told him when they first broke up, right before River graduated. She was blowing him off once more with a poor excuse which not even she could manage to believe, “What’d you mean?”

“I mean, leave. Now.” she was resolute this time. The Doctor hated to see her like this. He knew all the feelings behind her steely façade, but for some unknown reason, he was no longer allowed to witness it. But he didn’t understand why she was doing this, and he needed to understand because maybe, if he understood, then he could fix it.

“Wha–”

“Leave!” she slammed her hand into the desk to emphasize the order and the Doctor jumped, startled. He turned, tears starting to form in the crevice of his eyes and clouding his view, and headed out the door and into the hallway.

There, he walked and walked and walked, not knowing where but wishing he could just walk his troubles away.

//

After the sun had gone down and his feet were as sore as his heart, the Doctor headed back to the Gryffindor common room.

There, as he silently crossed the hole in the wall, he found most of the other Gryffindors had either gone to bed or to the Astronomy Tower (where he should be, by the way). Only Amy remained, sitting on a couch by the fireplace, her back to him and head rested on a dark shoulder attached to a dirty-blond head. They were whispering silently into each other’s ears as the fireplace creaked happily in front of them.

_Rory and Amy._

_Together._

In any other circumstances the Doctor would have run up to them immediately and congratulated them, hugging them both and maybe even kissing them. But not today, he could congratulate them tomorrow.

He silently swallowed the knot in his throat and headed up to his dorm. The pair, obviously too into their own world, didn’t notice him at all.

He took out his Astronomy gear and then headed out. He walked silently until he reached the Astronomy tower and climbed up the stairs to the top and headed to where the class was being taught.

//

Clara looked around and immediately spotted Jenny and Danny talking off to the side of the group. Most of the other students had already taken out their telescopes and charts and had started working but both her friends seemed a little too into their own conversation to notice the class had already started.

Clara made her way there, set up her telescope beside them and cleared her throat. Just then did they notice she’d even approached.

“Oh, Clara.” said Danny turning to look at her, a strange, guilty look in his face.

“Hey-yo Clara.” said Jenny from behind Danny. The same expression was pasted across her face.

“What have you two been up to, may I ask?” she said raising a suspicious eyebrow at them.

“Nothin’.” The both said in unison, almost as if they had practiced it.

“Mmm-hhmm.” Clara knew they were up to something, but she let it slip, turning to her telescope instead. She would leave the subject rest, she knew pressing her friends into telling her things didn’t work so she’d have to wait and gather more information before asking them, when they weren’t paying too much attention, of course. Catch them unprepared and discover their secret.

Clara took out her chart and started writing down the constellations she needed, smiling to herself. She really enjoyed Astronomy. Even if it meant being up until midnight and losing sleep. She just loved to see the stars through her telescope and imagine all that must be happening up there on those stars. All the lives that might exist out there in the deep, mysterious space. She always though, _well if magic’s real then why not aliens?_

Most of the people she commented this to, of course, laughed at her and called her silly. _Of course aliens aren’t real, if they were; they would have come here already._

They worked silently in their respective charts until the loud screak of the door to the tower’s balcony, where they were, startled them, along with the rest of the class.

The Doctor walked in, silently, and closed the door. His head was down and his robe and uniform where all messy. He walked towards Clara at the edge of the group, stood beside her and started setting up his telescope, apparently completely missing her presence. He looked incredibly gloomy and his eyes were red and puffy, clearly from crying.

All the other students returned to their own works, muttering silently to each other. Professor Sinistra seemed to have ignored the whole ordeal as she was observing through her own telescope, not even approaching the Doctor and asking why he was late.

It took almost half an hour for Clara’s worrying to finally drive her nuts enough to gather the guts to ask, “You alright, Doctor?”

The Doctor looked up for the first time since he had set up his telescope, his face slightly less grim than before. Slightly.

He pursed his lips together and said, “It’s alright, just… had a discussion with a friend, that’s all.”

Clara, sure there was more to the subject than a simple discussion, took his hand in hers and squeezed, reassuringly.

“You can always talk to me, if you like, promise you I won’t drive you nuts.”

She let go of his hand with a shy smile and returned to her telescope, a bit of red rushing into her cheeks. The Doctor laughed, remembering their earlier conversation.

“Thanks, I appreciate it, Clara.” she heard him say as he returned too, to his own telescope.

Silence settled upon them as they both observed. The rest of the class bubbled away behind them, giving their own silence an easy-going feeling, that is, until the Doctor broke it again.

“So, you’re in this class too?”

Clara rolled her eyes.

“Yep.” she said, smiling, recalling their first class of Herbology together.

“Since…”

“…first year, yeah.” she finished for him, her smile widening. She turned to look at him and saw he was turning red by the second, eye still stuck to his telescope.

“I _am_ unobservant, aren’t I?”

“That’s what I said.” said Clara chuckling lightly.

He finally faced her, smiling slightly, though ashamed.

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” she smiled at him and then returned to her chart. As she wrote down her notes, she noticed the Doctor leaning in on her work, observing.

“Are you trying to copy?”

He looked up at her and smiled.

“Nah, I finished mine ‘bout twenty minutes ago.” he proudly raised his chart in the air to show it to her, fully complete with its constellations dancing around the paper in perfect symmetry.

“Centaurus’ wrong.” he noted, looking down at her chart once he settled his.

“What?” she asked looking at the constellation. It was a bit off, but then again, there wasn’t even one chart in the whole class which wasn’t a bit off. Except for the Doctor’s, of course.

“See, this star,” he said pointing at a small dot at the end of what was supposed to be the centaur’s head. It was a bit to the left; Clara noticed. “It should go a bit to–”

“–the right.” finished Clara, already picking her quill and starting to correct it.

“Exactly.” The Doctor smiled.

As she fixed it, Clara noticed her chart started moving in perfect balance, each dot making its course around the paper exactly like in the real sky, just like the Doctor’s.

She smiled to herself and walked to Professor Sinistra to hand it over, the Doctor right behind her.

After that, since they had finished all their work, they headed down the stairs and to their respective common rooms in amicable silence. They said goodbye with a silent hug which Clara stretched until she couldn’t stand on her tiptoes any longer and had to let go before she tripped. The Doctor held on a little longer still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THE PLOT THICKENS, MY DUDES!
> 
> Oh how I've enjoyed this fic, i swear it's so lovely to be writing again! As always, comments and kudos feed my very soul!


	10. Chapter 10

Saturday came with an energetic shake for Clara as Jenny woke her up and almost pushed her out of bed.

“Clara, Clara, Clara! Wake up!”

“What, What, what?!” asked the girl panicked, sitting up, her hair a mess and her eyes still half closed. The tree other girls who shared their dorm all grumbled in unison for the pair to shut up.

“Quidditch try-outs today? Don’t you remember?” urgently whispered Jenny. As Clara took a second look at her friend, she noticed she had her Quidditch robe on, with her broom by her side and a half-panicked, half-excited look in her face.

Suddenly, it hit Clara. Today was Saturday! Danny’s first job as a Captain and Jenny second chance to try out for the team. Last year Wix’d said she was way too slow for the team, so Jenny had been practicing for the whole year and now was ready to try again. Jenny had been talking about it for months and had been specially distracted yesterday because of anticipation.

“Yeah, no. I remember.” _Lie._ Clara had totally forgotten she had promised to go with her to the try-outs and support her.

“Then what are you watin’ for? Hurry up and get dressed lazy bird!” hurried Jenny.

Clara immediately threw away the covers of her bed and jumped up, got dressed and was out her room in no time, much to the other girls joy.

They exited the Basement with little to no chatting at all, with Jenny fidgeting with anything she had, her robe’s cords or her broom or her hair, silently muttering to herself. Clara didn’t ask Jenny much or tried to talk to her either; she knew her friend was way too nervous to answer anything correctly.

The last time this had happened, last year, Clara had tried to take Jenny’s mind off of the try-outs by asking her what she thought of the nice weather and Jenny had answered that; Yes, she liked ice-cream.

They had breakfast, or rather, Clara had breakfast and Jenny munched nervously at a piece of bread, and then headed for the Quidditch field.

As they made their way there, along with at least half the Hufflepuff house and a couple of other students, Clara lost sight of Jenny amongst the mob of people, but she didn’t worry much, she was supposed to sit at the bleachers alone anyways. And the walk was nice enough when you didn’t have a nervous ball of anxiety beside you, no offence to Jenny. The weather was getting worse by the second, although it hadn’t yet snowed, so the grass hills that surrounded the castle were all as green as they could be, intense and crunchy with the frozen dew.

Suddenly, someone pushed her from behind and violently pulled at her hair.

“Oi!” she cried, raising her hand to her head and stumbling forwards, almost falling headfirst and rolling down the grass hill.

She looked back and saw the last face she wanted to see that day. Master.

“Watch it, _Puff._ ” He spit out the words before turning back and running towards the castle.

Clara, her heart racing, looked around trying to make sense of what had just happened, but it made absolutely no sense. After a minute or so, once her heart returned to its usual pace, she finally returned to her walking.

 _That could have gone so much worse than it did_ , she thought. But she shouldn't have been surprised. After all that had happened and the punishment the Master must have gotten, she was suddenly amazed she hadn’t seen his face sooner. But still, it was disconcerting, to say the least.

She raised her eyes and looked around, trying to calm herself, going back to relishing the view. Most students had already made their way to the Quidditch Pitch but, for some unknown reason, a couple of stragglers caught her attention. Then, she realized why. It was the Doctor and Professor Song, arguing near Hagrid’s hut.

Professor Song seemed upset and was gesturing around with her arms, her hair moving around her head wilder than usual. The Doctor, in the other hand, was staring right into her eyes, a grim and angry expression in his face and his hands in his pockets.

Clara stopped in her tracks, curious, but then remembered what her mother had once told her “ _Curiosity was what killed the cat, Clara_ ”. She decided on giving them space. Clearly, something more than a student-teacher thing was going on there, Clara could tell from the Doctor’s look, but she guess she could ask Rory in Defence about it later instead of interrupting them.

She continued her trip, deciding on a faster pace for the sake of arriving in time, and reached the field with no more troubles.

She sat at the bleachers and watched as, once Danny had blown the whistle, all the wannabe players rose from the grass and proved their skills and raced around, sometimes passing balls to one another and sometimes flying away from balls and, well, whatever the hell Quidditch was all about because, really, Clara had no idea.

//

At around one o’clock Danny blew the final whistle, and everybody got off their brooms and went to change. Clara, glad it was finally over, jumped up from her spot and run to see where Jenny was. She found her sitting on the grass right outside the field with her broom over her shoulder and a huge smile on her lips.

“I did it!” she yelled as she saw Clara approaching. She threw a punch in the air victoriously and then offered Clara her hand so the shorter girl could pull her up.

“You sure?” asked Clara, worried her friend might get her hopes up for nothing.

“Yep! Everybody loved me; they said ‘if Jenny doesn’t get on the team then Danny must be crazy’! They said I was one o’the best chasers they’d ever seen after Ginny Weasley! Hear ‘at? They compared me to Ginny freaking Weasley!”

“Whoa, that must be… good, then?” asked Clara, oblivious to whom Ginny Weasley was.

“Oh. My. God. Clara! I can’t believe I’m friends with such a Quidditch ignorant like you!”

“Cause of my amazing sense of humour and my pretty face?” suggested Clara.

“Partly.” Jenny laughed as she started back towards the castle “But mostly ‘cause o’ your notes on Defence and History.”

“Ha ha ha, you’re so funny Jenny.” said Clara sarcastically, following Jenny’s cheerful figure close behind.

//

“So, I saw you talkin’ to River back then, how’d it go?” Amy’s voice interrogated the Doctor even before he could even plop down onto the Gryffindor table to have breakfast. She had her hand in Rory’s and was currently stroking his knuckles with her thumb and distracting him from his tea.

“Great.” he said, sarcasm thick in his voice. He felt a big ball of knotted feelings pushing his insides around, playing like a puppy plays with a sock.

“She still doesn’t want to tell you why she broke up with ‘ya?” asked Rory, looking away from Amy’s hands in his for a moment, as if only then noticing his friend’s arrival.

“Nope. She just keeps saying I won’t understand and that it’s too complicated and blah blah blah." he closed his eyes and let his face fall onto his palms, tired and helpless.

“Doctor?” A high-pitched voice startled the three of them, drowning whatever Amy was about to say next as she closed her open mouth and looked behind the Doctor. Following her line of sight, the Doctor found Oswin standing there, her hands behind her back, her hair down to her collarbone and her big bambi eyes shining with excitement. She was wearing a tight blue skirt with black flower patterns and a white blouse with a necklace over it. She looked overall exactly how the word _cute_ would look if it was a person, in the Doctor’s eyes.

“Clara!” called the Doctor, raising his hands with a smile, “What can I do for you this lovely morning?”

“I was wondering if you could come with me? I want to show you something.” she winked an eye at him and turned around, heading out of the Great Hall almost skipping, looking back to make sure the Doctor followed.

The Doctor stood up and obviously did, while Amy commented something in Rory’s ear and they both laughed. Outside the great hall Oswin guided him through a series of hallways and stairs until they reached the astronomy tower. She didn’t say a word for the whole trip, answering his curious questions with smirks and winks. The Doctor was thrilled, any sad or confusing River though way out of his mind.

They climbed up and, once they had reached the top, the Doctor finally asked “What are we doing here, exactly? ‘Cause I really don’t mind coming here and enjoying the view but, I mean, it’s kinda creepy and scary-movie-like for you to bring me here without any explanation whatsoever, Clara.”

“Shush, raggedy man, you’ll spoil the surprise.” she whispered, raising a single finger and pressing it against his lips.

Something didn’t fit, for a moment, and the Doctor was about to protest when she took his hand in hers and turned around, pulling him until they had reached the railing at the edge. The Doctor grabbed it with his free hand and leaned on it, looking down towards the ground. They were right over the entrance to the castle and the only figures he could spot where a couple of girls, one in bright yellow robes with what looked like a broom over her shoulder, and the other with a mixture of reds and blacks and pail browns.

“Doctor.” he heard Clara call from beside him and he looked up. She had an eyebrow raised and a half grin, half smirk planted on her lips. Flirtatious was putting it small.

“Yes?” he asked with a nervous smile of his own, not sure what exactly was going on. It suddenly occurred to him that Clara seemed ready to seduce someone and he really hoped it wasn’t going to be himself.

Thing is, he liked Clara, a lot, but, seducing and all that, it would complicate things and the Doctor really was only looking for a friend in her, hopefully a not complicated one. Also, this kind of situations really _, really_ made him incredibly uncomfortable.

“Come closer.” she commanded, fluttering her eyelashes and standing on her tiptoes.

“Uhm.” he tried to speak but not much came out, a knot forming in his throat.

Suddenly Clara’s arms shot forward and her two hands pressed against his cheeks as she pulled him down towards her face and, as simple as that, they were kissing. The Doctor tried to pull away immediately but her grip on his face was strong.

A million questions rushed through his mind with a million answers to pair them with.

 _Why was she kissing him?_ Or, more important _, why was he letting her?_

_Why didn’t he pull away harder?_

_Did he enjoy it?_ Well, actually, it was a rather nice kiss and the Doctor couldn’t deny he had thought of it. He couldn’t deny he fancied her. _But in a totally platonic way,_ he might add. In no way in hell would he do something about it. Certainly not like this. Because it would definitely complicate things and he didn’t want things to get complicated with Clara. She was already a mystery as it is.

But, he admitted, he did though she was kind of cute, with the chocolate brown hair and bangs and the brown bambi eyes and that nose that was all kinds of funny and weird yet still it suited her face beautifully. And her short stature making her seem so small, yet she was all fiery and sassy, so against her house values it intrigued the Doctor endlessly because still, somehow, she managed to represent her house in every way. She couldn’t be anything but a Hufflepuff. She was so kind and accepting and god oh so, so pretty and- _getting off the topic here._

She finally pulled away for breath, a giant, almost maniac, grin on her face. She was a bit flustered and her eyes shined with excitement.

“Well then.” she said and, suddenly, her expression changed dramatically. She was frowning now and, as the Doctor straightened himself, her right hand pulled back and came at him in one of the most powerful slaps the astronomy tower had ever seen (and the astronomy tower had seen a lot of slaps, being the number one spot on the list of making-out places for the Hogwarts students due to its privacy).

“Aaaaarrggggg! Wha- Who- Why- What?” words sputtered out of the Doctor mouth as he tried to regain balance, holding onto the railing once more with his right hand and searching Clara's face to find some trace of an explanation with his eyes as he massaged his sore cheek with his left, but she just seemes angry. He closed his eyes, hoping the pain would subside soon.

When he opened them again, Clara was gone.

A little paper was left in the floor where she had been standing seconds before, instead. He picked it up and unfolded it. Inside, it read: “I can’t believe you let Orion hurt me like that and didn’t go after him, I hate you. - Clara”

_What?_

The Doctor sat down on the floor, a frown on his face. _Why the hell was Clara acting so strange?_

Then it clicked.

_Raggesy man, only Amy called him that. he doubted Clara even knew about the nickname. And Clara wasn’t using her cast. She didn’t even have a bandage on. And this – this was definitely not Clara’s writing. Hers was clean and organized, and her a’s didn’t look like that. This handwriting was messy and long._

_And, she was acting all weird and kissy and flirty, but not normal flirty, more like dramatically flirty. That wasn’t Clara._

She wasn’t using her cast and she was acting like someone else entirely, and her handwriting wasn’t hers. Which only meant, _that hadn’t been Clara kissing him_. It had only been someone who _looked like_ Clara.

Polyjuice Potion!

But then, Who?

Who had he just kissed? Or rather, _who had just kissed him?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alas! a short yet pivotal chapter! hope you liked it, 'cause I def enjoyed writting it, hehe.
> 
> On a side note, I just got a job and it's quite stessful and also time consuming so I will probably take longer to update, I'm sorry:(
> 
> As always, kudos and comments feed my soul!


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